


The Winter Soldier

by Sarian06



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: End of the first movie, F/M, Forced Marriage, Love Story, Violence, War, hopefully a happy ending, mention of blood later in, not following the trailer from the new movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-02-21 17:16:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 37,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18706798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarian06/pseuds/Sarian06
Summary: Elsa is enjoing a peaceful afternoon with her sister, when she is interrupted by one of her gards that informs her of a terrible news that will completly changeher life: she is engage to a stranger. Follow Elsa while she discovers her future husband and how things will turn out!





	1. The news

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people! I'm happy to present you this fanfiction I've been working on for some time. It is my first time writting with an OC character and I hope you will appreciate it. Do not hesetated to tell me if there are any mistakes. Critics are highly apreciated!

It was a special day for queen Elsa and her youngest sister Anna. For once, Elsa was allowed to spend her entire day with Anna. Because of all her responsibilities, it was quite rare for her to have a day off and every time she had one, she would prefer to spend it with her sister. Nobody could disturb both of them without facing the wrath of the queen.

The sisters were currently in Elsa’s room talking about their week and simply enjoying each other’s presence but Anna wanted to do something more.  
-Elsa, do you want to go ice skating? And without waiting for Elsa to answer, Anna grabbed Elsa’s hand and rushed out off the room. The elder sister giggled all the way to the frozen lake.  
Once they’ve reached the edge of the lake, Elsa made two pairs of ice skates and gave one to Anna so she could join her on the ice.     

They have been skating and having fun for more than two hours. Exhaustion caught up with them so they decided to take a break. After making a small bench for themselves, Elsa let out a sigh and closed her eyes to relax but the universe had other plans for her.

A man, one of Elsa’s guard, approached to them carefully, He didn’t want to get the Queen angry more than he was going to.   
She opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps coming from her direction. She sent a questioning look at the man now standing in front of her. She saw that he was nervous so she has decided to let him a chance to explain about why he was currently disturbing them, she stayed silent, waiting for him to speak.

-Your majesty, my apologies for bothering you on your day off but a man showed up at the castle and he won’t leave until he saw you,  the soldier finally said.  
Elsa felt anger slowly growing inside her. Her staff perfectly knew that this day was supposed to be a day of relaxation with her sister without any interruption. They should have dealt with this man without consulting her.  
-Tell him to come back tomorrow, I’m busy.   
The man avoided eyes contact with the queen. He clearly wanted to add something more but he was too afraid to tell her.  
-Is there something else? She tried to push him  
-I hmm we tried to tell him to come back later but he really doesn’t want to move. Someone tried to get him out but he broke the arm of the soldier. Nobody dares to approach him now.  
Elsa let out a long and heavy sigh, she really has to get her soldiers a better training. With resignation, she stood up and looked sadly her sister. Anna immediately understood and jumped to her feet  
-Wait, Elsa, you are not going back to the castle, are you?  
-I’m sorry Anna, I have to.  
Elsa began to follow silently the soldier back to the castle, Anna trailing not too far behind them.

When they arrived at the castle, the soldier immediately took them into the throne room, where the man should be.  
A guard opened the large oak door, Elsa quickly scanned the room and find the stranger standing in front of the thrones. He was tall and he was wearing a black cloak with his hood on his head, hiding his face from the sisters.  
Elsa made her way to her throne, Anna following her carefully. This man was strange, she felt it.  
-Finally, she shows up, the man said, revealing his pale face with a grin. He had dark onyx eyes and a scar running down his chin.  
Elsa heard a soldier growl under his breath clearly choked at such familiarity but before he could inform this stranger to be more polite, the man spoke again  
-Let me introduce myself. I’m Tyler Abbott, the personal guard of William Warlock, the prince of Onyxia  
Elsa looked confused. She had never heard of a kingdom named Onixia. Maybe the council has mentioned it at a meeting but she has been too bored to pay attention. She suddenly felt a bit ashamed of her lack of knowledge, she straightened herself on her sit and faced the cloaked man   
-Sorry, mister Abbott but…  
-Call me Tyler, another growl, and don’t need to be confused, I’ve suspected that nobody has told you about the prince and the pact between our two kingdoms   
Now Elsa was really confused. Anna felt her sister getting uncomfortable because of the man who stands in front of them. She took her sister’s hand to reassure her  
-The pact? What are you talking about?  the queen asked, being more confident thanks to her sister’s support.

Tyler rolled his eyes with a sigh clearly exasperated by the situation and reached the inside of his coat. He took a piece of paper and unfolded it.  
-You’re lucky, I have something here, he cleared his throat and started reading it,  
“To prevent a war, the kingdom of Arendelle will give the hand of its first princess to one of Onyxia’s prince. They must get married as soon as they grow old. The kingdom of Arendell will receive the protection of Onyxia from any harm that would come from other kingdoms and both kingdoms will become partners in trading”

A heavy silence fell upon the room as the words sunk into their heads. Anna’s eyes widened when she finally understood what they meant. She stood up abruptly, a hand on her heart  
-But Elsa is the first princess!  
The man only chuckled as he watches the queen’s face decompose as the situation became clear to her  
-Exactly! One point for the lovely lady right over there! That’s why I’m here today my dear lady. You see, my master is on his way to fulfill his duty. He will   in two or three weeks, depending on the road. He sent me here in advance to warn you of his arrival. Now that I did what I had to do, I will go and let you prepare his arrival, with a wave of his hand, he turned back and walked out to the exit  
-Wait! Yelled Elsa louder than she has expected, she stood up slowly, we could clearly see that she was shocked, I cannot get married to someone I just met!  
The man looked at her with a small smile  
-I don’t fix the rules of the game, sorry. But it’s for the best of all of us, I’m sure you’ll understand it. Now, I really need to go, I don’t want to face the prince when he is angry.

Tyler left the room, leaving the two sisters in a heavy silence. Anna felt the air getting colder and heard soft sobs coming from Elsa’s direction. Without losing a second, she rushed to her side and hugged her closely, letting her crying silently on her shoulder. The guards decided to leave the room to give some privacy to both of them.


	2. Time for research!

Elsa stayed frozen for what felt like an eternity. Deciding it was enough, she regained her composure and left Anna's embrace. She replayed the last minutes in her head trying to fully understand what had happened. While thinking she slowly sat dawn on her throne, followed by Anna who sat next to her.   
Anna was worried about her sister. She knew how scared she must fell. Marry a stranger? That was something she never thought her sister would have to do. She held her hand. The sudden contact brought Elsa back to earth.  
-A stranger, she finally said, What if he's like Hans? What if the only thing he wants is power?  
-Mom and Dad would have never agreed to marry you to someone like that, Anna tried but failed to reassure her sister  
-How would you know? Even I wasn't born when they made it. What if this prince is like twenty years older than me? She was panicking now, unable to recompose herself. A tear fell down her cheek as she looked at her sister. Her worst nightmare was going to materialize and she had no choice but to let it happen.  
-Listen to me Elsa, Anna said, grabbing both of Elsa's shoulders, He's only coming in like, what two or three weeks? We have time to prepare ourselves  
-Ourselves? You are not the one who's going to marry a man you don't know anything about  
-Elsa look, you have time to make some research on him and this kingdom. I'm sure he's a nice guy and if we have never heard of Onyxia it means that it's a country with nothing to worry about don't you think?  
Elsa wiped her eyes and with a new strength she stood up, still holding Anna's hand in hers, and with a small smile she thanked her sister for always sticking with her

Three hours had passed, Elsa was in her study with a bunch of books scattered across her desk. She was tired. She was sure she had never read so much in so little time in her entire life. All those words were giving her a headache. She had found praticaly no information on Onyxia, all she discovered was that Onyxia was a prosperous and powerful country that has never lost any single battle. Apparently, Onyxia had countless high-quality products that the other kingdom were ready to kill for and that's why Onyxia was often at war.  
As for the royal family, to Elsa's dismay, she had found practically nothing. Gregory Warlock was the former king. He liked battles and was the best swordsman in the country. He died in a fight 5 years ago. As for his wife, Lydia Warlock, she died in a mysterious fire. The kingdom was now ruled by Charles Warlock, older brother of William Warlock, he is married to Maria Fortsbeck. Oddly enough, she found no information about William, only that, in addition to his brother, he had a little sister named Lyla. Apparently, she disappeared a few years ago in unknown circumstances.

Elsa looked at the clock to see it was time for dinner. She quickly gathers all her books and papers and got up to go to the dining hall to join Anna and Kristoff.   
Once she reached the dining hall, she went to her seat at the top of the table and waited for her sister and her husband to arrived. She waited a bit less than 10 minutes before they showed up. Anna looked excited as she sat in her seat at Elsa's left with Kristoff next to her. Elsa looked at her with confusion written on her face. Why was she excited? But before she could ask, the servants walked in with the food, and drop off the plates in front of them and left the room.  
-What are you so excited about? the queen asked her sister after a minute  
-Well I was just wondering if you found something on this prince  
With a sigh, Elsa proceeded to tell her everything she had found on Onyxia and its royal family. Anna listened to her very carefully, which was difficult for her because she wasn't really used to listen without cutting the person talking. She really wanted to learn as much as she could on this kingdom.  
-It's weird that there is practically nothing on this family, said Anna after her sister had finished her story, and why didn't we heard about this country before? Or even about this pact father had done with the other king? And what is it with those mysterious deaths and disappearance?  
\- I don't know Anna but it worries me. I thought I could find something on the man I was about to marry but instead, I only have more questions. I really don't know what to expect.

Anna looked at her sister then at Kristoff and finally turned back to Elsa  
-Your not the only one who did some digging   
-Did you find something?  
-I asked Kristoff if he knew something about Onyxia and..tell her what you know, she said facing him  
-The mountains of Onyxia are famous for their amazing ice and gorgeous landscape but I'm sure you don't care about that so hmm about the royal family well, they are very secretive but they treat their people with respect and hmm it's just a rumor but I've heard in a bar that Prince William, when he was 6, got kidnapped and when he returned a month or two after, there were a bunch of men in dark cloak following him around and nobody never knew where they were coming from.  
-That's strange. Anna, you think those people are like this man, what was his name again?  
-You are talking about Tyler? Maybe, I guess it's possible like, he was wearing a black cloak so it fits the description.

Dinner was finally over. It was getting dark so they decided it was time to head out to their room for the night. As Elsa was walking to her room, she couldn't help herself but lose herself in her thoughts. This family was full of dark spots and weird events. She found herself wondering if the group that kidnapped William also abducted his sister but that the cloaked persons were not there to save her. Not wanting to dive too deeply in some conspiracy theory for the moment, Elsa quickly put on her nightgown and went to sleep. This night was going to be a long one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I think I am going to try and post once a week? Maybe twice but it will depend on my schedule. Don't forget to leave kudosor a nice comment it would mean a lot to me!


	3. Questions

Morning came too fast for Elsa. She wanted her night to last longer so she could stay away from the problems the day before had brought. Not only had she learned she was forced to marry a man because of some pact her parents did with a king from a foreign country, but she also had no clues of who this man was. The only thing she was sure off is that his name was William and that was clearly not enough for her.

She felt angry, and not only at her deceased parents but also at the council members that could have told her. But no, they had preferred for some random person to come to her and tell her the truth about her life. 

Elsa felt jalouse of her sister, at least she had had the chance to marry the man she loved. She shook her head, she had no right to feel this way about her sister, it wasn't her fault after all. She expected that she would have the chance to experiment true love but apparently, life had other plans for her. 

Elsa got up from her bed and went to her dresser to pick out an outfit for the day. She quickly walked to the dining hall and after taking her breakfast, went to her study to begin her work for the day. 

As she stepped inside her office she found Kay, a servant of the castle, waiting next to her desk with a paper in his hand. The queen walked to her seat and waited for him to read her her schedule for the day.

After listening to him, Elsa finished writing some papers and headed to her meeting with the council.  
The council was the same as the time of her father, full of rich and powerful lords from all around the kingdom. The majority of them were old and not that nice. They wanted a king at the head of the country, thinking a woman couldn't rule properly but they said nothing, too scared to voice their opinion, but she knew and was annoyed at this.  
When she stepped inside the room, everybody stopped talking and turned to her. She sat at the top of the table and allowed them to begin the meeting.

After two hours of listening about complains and bad ideas the meeting was finally over but before Elsa dismissed them, she had a question to ask them  
-Before I leave you to your responsibilities, I have a simple question to ask all of you  
The lords all looked around them, wondering what was it and a bit scared at her slight cold tone   
-What is it, your Majesty? Lord Marween asked  
-Well, you see, yesterday a man entered the castle asking to see me and delivered a disturbing message. Apparently, my dear father had made a sort of pact with the kingdom of Onyxia, at the mention of Onyxia, some gazes grew worried and nervous but it didn't stop Elsa to continue, and I was wondering why you didn't tell me anything about it

There was a pause, nobody knew how to answer her without upsetting her. After a minute Marween spoke up once more.  
-Your Grace, nobody told you because when king Gregory died, we thought the pact was over. We did not judge it useful to tell you about it.  
-But now that we know that they still want to continue it, we should prepare ourselves for his arrival, another said with confidence  
Everyone agreed and turned to the queen, waiting for her response. Elsa took a moment to realize it was really happening, what was she thinking anyway? That they would say that this pact was nothing to worry about and it was no longer valid? Well now at least she was sure it was going to happen. It scared her but she couldn't show it to the councilmen, so she got up and allowed them to leave the room.

She was sitting on her throne, listening to the people complaining and asking for her permission to their demand. Normally, she would love to listen to her people requests and complains but she was not in the mood. Her mind was constantly wandering on the mysterious prince she was going to marry. She was worried about her future, she had always sworn to herself to never marry a stranger and look at her now. She was lost, on one hand, she wanted to meet this man but on the other hand, she wanted this pact to disappear forever

After hours of agreeing and refusing to peoples demand while thinking of the man, she was going to meet, Elsa's day was finally over. She walks to the dining hall where she was meeting with her sister and her husband. When she opened the door she found them kissing next to the window. Elsa coughed to let them know there were not alone. They immediately separate and with red faces they walk to the table and sat in their sits. Elsa smirked at their sudden shyness and considered teasing them a bit but refrained to do so and asked them about their day instead  
-We went hiking in the mountains with Olaf. He absolutely wanted to go see the lake so we took him with us, and you how was it?  
Elsa groaned, telling her it was a normal day of work with a boring meeting with the council and a lot of paperwork like always.  
After dinner, they all went to sleep. Tomorrow, Elsa had to go into town to help repair a building that had collapsed a week ago.


	4. First encounter

It has been two weeks since Tyler delivered the message to Elsa. The queen was nervous, the prince could arrive at any moment now. Every time Kay told her she had a visit, her heart would beat faster and fear would rush in her veins. To add to her nervousness, Anna was often absent as she had to go to town or join Kristoph in the mountains.  
Speaking of the town, Elsa had yet to tell her people that she was engaged. She had no idea how to do so but the councilmen advised her to wait for William's arrival to announce their wedding. She didn't know how the town's people would react to the news. Elsa was aware some of the people wanted a king at her side to lead the country but because she hadn't done anything wrong for the moment, they didn't say anything. She knew they were waiting for a mistake to claim she wasn't fit to rule and this made her work harder because even the smallest decision could give them right. She wanted to have her people trust and support and she knew the majority was behind her but she was scared that the minority was going to change the mind of her supporters.

Today was going by smoothly, like always she had some paperwork, meetings, and all that stuff, nothing really exciting if you'll asked her but that was her duty, to satisfy her kingdom.  
Elsa heard a knock at her door after a second Kay entered the room  
-Your Majesty, the prince has arrived  
She felt her heart literally freeze in her chest. Thousandths of thoughts were passing in a flash in her head. The man she was about to meet will be with her for the rest of her life.  
The trip to the throne room where he was waiting for her went by like a breeze. Her heart was pounding loudly against her rib cage, she closed her eyes and took a big breath before entering the great hall.

Anna was already sitting in her throne, next to Elsa's, with Kristoff standing next to her. The queen hurried to her seat and after sitting down finally looked at the men present in front of her.

There, just in front of five hooded people, he was standing. He was tall and had broad shoulders. He had short, jet black hair. His eyes had two different colors, the left one was onyx while the other was as red as fresh blood. A scar was running down his red eye. He had no expression on his face so it was hard to read his thoughts. The prince was all clad in black, he even was wearing black gloves. Elsa had to admit, he wasn't all that bad looking. The man looked her straight in the eyes and stepped forward, he bowed down, his men following suit and with a deep voice he declared  
-My queen, it's an honor to finally meet you, he stood up and looked at her again in the eyes.

Elsa felt uneasy under his strong gaze. Something about him was off. She could sense a sort of dark power sleeping inside of him, the type that sends chills down her spine. She forced herself to hold his gaze and with a voice that didn't betray her true emotions said  
-It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Prince William. I'm sure you must be tired from your long journey, a maid will be showing you your room. As she said that, Gerda walked in and after a quick bow, leaded William out of the room.  
The five other persons that were in the room looked at each other and after they came at a silent agreement disappeared in the blink of an eye.  
Elsa let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She felt someone grabbing her hand and when she looked up, saw it was Anna who was smiling at her.  
-It was not that bad, she said, Elsa agreed but couldn't shake off the weird feeling this prince made her feel  
-He doesn't look really friendly, remarked Kristoff. Anna elbowed him in the guts to make him shush, she didn't want her sister to be worried.  
-I'm sure it's because he was tired and that he is really nice, Anna said trying to cheer her sister up. Elsa eyed her skeptically not totally convinced by her words but smiled nonetheless.

It was dinner time, Elsa and the others were already sited at the table. They were waiting for William to arrive. As the door finally opened, the queen looked in its direction but instead of finding the prince, she found Tyler. Elsa looked at the man with a raised eyebrow, clearly confused. Before she could ask him what was going on, he said  
-Prince William will not be able to join you for dinner. He hopes you'll understand that after his long journey he felt too tired to attend this dinner. Tyler bowed down and exited the room.  
Elsa stared at the closed door for a minute after he left. She felt disappointed. She wanted to learn who this man was.  
They continued their meal in silence, not knowing what to say. Anna exchanged worried glances with Kristoff, she knew how frustrated her sister felt. But there was nothing they could do, it wasn't his fault after all.

 

William was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork. His trip cost him a great amount of time and he was now late on his work. He let out a sigh, he was really tired. He decided it was time for a pause. William leaned over the back of his chair and stretched his legs in front of him. After relaxing for a minute, he heard a knock at the door. Confused, he got up and walked to the door. It couldn't be Tyler, he never knocks. Maybe it was the queen, coming to tell him it was rude of him to have skip dinner.  
William opened the door and find no one. He looked around the corridor, there was still nobody. Thinking he heard the knock, he closed the door and went back to his chair but before he could sit down, there was a second knock. Groaning loudly, thinking it was a joke, William opened the door and still found no one. This was getting on his nerves. He was about to close the door but something prevents him to do so. William looked at the ground and there, standing in front of him was a living snowman. Without a second thought, William kicked the snowman in the head, sending it a little further down the hallway. Realizing what he'd done, the prince quickly grabbed the head and placed it back on the body.  
-I'm so sorry, he apologized before the snowman could say something  
-Don't worry, I'm used to it. Let's just start over, I'm Olaf and I love warm hugs, Olaf opened his arms waiting for the man to hug him but instead of opening his arms, William only stepped back with a worried glance.  
-Humm, I'm William. Are you really alive?  
-I think so. Elsa made me, smiled the small thing  
-Really? She can do that? That's impressive 

They discuss for a while, William always trying not to stay to close to Olaf, and Olaf always trying to get closer to William until someone goes calling for Olaf  
-Oh! That must be Anna  
-Olaf, there you are! I looked for you everywhere! Oh Prince, s-sorry for him, I hope he didn't surprise you too much.  
-A bit but it's normal, you don't see a living snowman every day  
-That's true  
An awkward silence fell down on the group. Neither of them knew what to say next, apart from Olaf, he was just spacing out  
-Well, have a good night, Anna gently waved at him and took Olaf by his arm before walking down the hallway.  
William went back to his work a bit more focused.


	5. Little tour

They were all sitting at the dining table, waiting for breakfast. Elsa was at her usual spot at the top of the table. Anna was at her right with Kristoff sitting beside her. Olaf was across Kristoff leaving an empty spot for William at Elsa's left. Speaking of the prince, he was late. Elsa was beginning to wonder if he was going to show up or not.  
When nobody expected him to come, William opened the door. Everyone turned their head to him, making him nervous  
-I..I'm sorry if I'm late but...I got lost, he confessed, a bit ashamed.  
-Don't worry it still happens to me, said a Kristoff, standing up and holding out his hand. William walked to the table and placed his gloved hand in his. He then went sitting at his place between Olaf and Elsa. The prince looked nervously at Olaf before sliding closer to Elsa. Anna missed the look he gave to the snowman and took this gesture as an attempt to get closer to her sister. The princess throws a knowing smirk at the queen who had no idea how to interpret her sister sudden change of attitude.  
-I don't think we met, William said to Kristoff  
-Oh right, I'm Kristoff, Anna's husband  
-And from where are you?  
-I am from here actually. I'm the ice master and deliverer of Arendelle.  
William looked at him confused but quickly hide his thought and simply nodded.  
-So you got lost? Maybe someone should give you a tour? Suggested Anna while looking at Elsa.  
The queen quickly catch what her sister was implying and blushed slightly   
-I could show you around tomorrow but not before the evening. I have some meetings in the morning and paperwork to do.  
-Don't worry, I have some things I need to finish tomorrow.  
They ate in an awkward silence. William was looking uncomfortable and nervous. As Elsa looked at Olaf, she noticed he was melting a bit. ‘Strange' she thought ‘It's not that warm here' but she quickly dropped her thought when Tyler enter the room by the window. Everyone around the table was shocked, apart from William who seemed to be accustomed by such entrance and Olaf who wasn't really paying attention.  
-Tyler I told you not to interrupt  
-I'm really sorry boss but this cannot wait, said the man, handing the prince an envelope. William looked at it and, without another word, got up and left the room with Tyler on his tail.  
Elsa stared at the door, confused at why he left so suddenly and turned to her sister ready to ask her if she saw something on the envelope.  
-That's not polite for a prince. What does he have to do that is more important than to learn to know his future wife? She asked no one angrily   
Elsa blushed but wondered what was the letter about.

 

The next day, Elsa didn't see William until their little meeting. She was walking to his room, exhausted from her long day. She was about to knock on the door but before she could do so, something caught her attention. William was talking with Tyler in his room.  
-So it's true, he betrayed us?  
-Unfortunately yes  
-We have to take care of it we cannot let him leave if you know what I mean. You know what you have left to do right?  
-Don't worry, I'll be careful.  
Elsa heard footsteps coming her way. She quickly hide behind a large vase and waited for Tyler to come out of William's room. Luckily, when he exited the room, he didn't go in her direction but in the opposite. She let out a sigh of relief and waited a little longer before standing up and knocking on William's door. She wondered what were they talking about and who this ‘he' was.  
She didn't have time to think too much about it as the door before she opened, revealing the prince.  
-Oh hum Hi Elsa, he said a little confused  
-Hello, William are you ready?  
-Ready for what? Oh! Yeah sorry yes let's go, he said quickly

Elsa showed him everything. They went everywhere. From the library, where they stayed two hours because William was fascinated by all those old books he had never seen, which amused her because she had never seen him as excited as he was. Well, it was not like she saw him often as he was always locked in his room doing whatever business he had to do, it's not like it bothered her, not at all, not in the slightest way, nope, really. That, of course, was a lie. She wished he could be more present instead of disappearing behind his door, so she could learn to know him. 

After complimenting her large collection of book, they started to walk through the castle, talking about their lives trying to know each other better. Elsa learned his castle was far bigger but that he had no access to all of it because he was only the second prince. She also learned he wasn't that bad, pretty funny in fact but he was always a bit distant. He constantly kept some sort of distance between them, like he didn't want to get to close to her or something. She didn't mind though, she put it on the count of nervousness.

They were now in the gardens. Elsa wanted to end this little tour by this part of the castle because she finds it was the most beautiful part of it. She felt odd though. Something was bothering her. She looked around her, in the dark of the night. It was like there was a hundreds pair of eyes observing her and William. He didn't seem to notice this and she decided it was nothing and dropped it.  
-Well I think I showed you everything, she said turning in his direction  
-Thank you, Elsa, for having taken the time to show me around. But I think I'll still get lost, he smiled  
-I'm sure you will get used to this place  
-I don't know, I have a pretty bad sense of direction. I still get lost in my castle even if I was born there so you can only imagine how it is going to be here.  
Elsa giggled. William quickly followed. After they both calmed down, William took one of Elsa's hand and kissed the top of it before adding  
-I wish you a good night, my lady. And with that, he left her standing in the middle of the garden.  
She blushed a furious shade of red, looking in the direction he left. It was the closest they've been since he arrived. She shook her head and recomposed herself before heading to her room, head filled with a hundred questions.


	6. A small break

It has been a little more than a week since Elsa showed William around and an equal amount of time since she had seen him. Indeed, the Prince had been staying in his room and rarely showed up at dinner. This behavior troubled her. He was only a prince and yet, he had as much, maybe more, work as her. What in the world was he working on anyway?  
She was walking in the hallway, stuck in her thoughts when a cheerful voice interrupted her  
-Hello! How's my favorite little queen doing?  
It was Tyler Elsa realized, already exasperated at his presence  
-As your day been going as you like? Are you missing someone maybe?  
She rolled her eyes and went past him, completely ignoring his question. But to her dismay, he followed her.  
-What do you want from me? And how do you find me every time?  
-What? You're not happy to see me? Your favorite person in the whole world? He said with fake betrayal. Elsa only sighed at his antics and resume walking to her office  
-And to answer your question, I don't want anything from you for the moment and I'm not doing anything suspicious either, that earned him a questioning look from the queen, I was just walking down this hallway and found you.  
-Yeah, right I believe you. And no my day is not going great and not for the reason you think. A body has been discovered yesterday in the Fjord and there is no clue. The body is so damaged that no one can recognize it. I hope we will catch the murderer soon.  
At the mention of this, Tyler seemed a bit angry but it could be her imagination as it was difficult to see his face clearly because of the hood. After one or two minutes Tyler bid his goodbye and jumped out the window. The first time she saw it, she was so scared she rushed to the window to make sure he was alright but now she was used to it which scared her a bit.

Elsa opened the door leading to her office now wondering what Tyler was doing in this hallway.  
Her desk was filled with reports of strange hooded men seen around town. It was since the Prince had arrived that those reports were more frequent. She had to ask him if he knew something about it.

 

William was sitting at his desk. Papers were spread all over the wooden surface, a slight headache was starting to form at the back of his skull. He needed a break. With a short sigh, the man stood on his feet, stretched a bit and went to the door. Before he could open it, he heard a knock that came from no one else but Elsa. A bit startled, William took a step back  
-Hello, my Lady...How are you? Stammered William  
-I'm fine and you? We hardly see you at dinner now that you spend so much time in your room  
-You are right and I'm sorry, I had a lot of work but I'll try my best to be more present  
-You sure do have a lot of work for a prince, Elsa couldn't help herself. She had to say it. Too many questions were surrounding this man and he wasn't really helping her understand him. He shifted under her cold gaze, feeling quite uncomfortable and not really knowing if he had to hold it or not  
-Yeah... and you? Do you have as much work as I have? He quickly yelled at himself for asking this stupid question that was only going to put him in more embarrassment   
-Actually, I don't think I have this much work and it's quite surprising since I am the Queen. Well come to think of it, I don't think my sister as this much of work to do either.  
If he wasn't feeling comfortable before, it only went worse. He knew she was waiting for answers but he couldn't provide them yet. He needed time to trust her but on the other side, she was going to be his wife. She deserved the truth. But before he could open his mouth to say something, she cut him short by lifting her hand up  
-Don't say anything, I just want to ask you one question and I hope you will answer it. There are many reports about suspicious hooded men walking around town and I wanted to know if you knew anything about it  
-Sorry, I don't know anything about them.  
-Well, thank you for your precious time. I hope to see you more often around the table.  
Elsa didn’t wait for an answer walked away. The prince, on the other hand, stood still, waiting for the queen to disappear around a corner before he whistled for Tyler to come. Once the hooded man appeared by his side William said  
-We have to be more careful. First, the body and now reports about the others. Tell everyone to be more discrete or else there will be some changes. 

 

She was angry and it was all his fault. She felt like he didn't care about her, he was always in his room doing god knows what. Every time she saw him, she felt angry but at the same time extremely happy and it confused her. She also noticed something weird about him. He wore constantly gloves, like her before and he always stayed away from people like, when someone tries to get closer to him, he would take a step back like he was afraid of something.  
Elsa decided it was enough thinking for today and went to bed.

After a long and boring meeting with the council, Elsa had the rest of the day off so without any hesitation, she ran to her sister to have a day out in town. She missed going in town and meet her people. Going there also allowed her to see what needed to change and what her people needed.  
As she walks past William's door, she hesitated a second and resumed her walk. She was not feeling like confronting him again.  
She joined Anna next to the stall where she was standing with Kristoff.  
-It was about time!  
-Sorry Anna, the meeting was longer than I expected  
With a last kiss to Kristoff, the girls set off and left the Big man take care of his reindeer.

 

William couldn't take it anymore. He had enough of all this work, it was insane the amount of thing he had to do. A break had to be taken. The prince whistled for one of his men   
-You wished to see me, master?  
-Yes, I need a break. Can you please take care of this mess? He said while showing him a stack of letters and various papers  
-Of course, anything for you.

William decided to go to the gardens. He didn't have the chance to go back there since Elsa showed it to him. He found this part of the castle very beautiful and it was maybe his favorite place. It was getting late, the sun was beginning to set but curiously he didn't feel the cold air surrounding him. On the contrary, warmth was spreading inside of him. What started as a comforting feeling was slowly becoming something more powerful. Too powerful. The warmth changed in a burning sensation and was quickly reaching every part of his tired body. The pain started to pound in his veins, a scream escaped from his lips. He couldn't take it no more. The heat was unbearable, he fell on his knees and clenched his fists around his head and without realizing it, he passed out.


	7. A weird sight

Elsa spends a great afternoon with her sister. They talk and had fun together, they even had time to go to at the chocolatier and of course, Anna bought a mountain of chocolate to Elsa's amusement.  
They ate some of it while they were sitting next to the lake where they stayed until it was time to go back to the castle.  
The two sisters went on their separate ways when they arrived in the great hall. Anna went to her room and joined Kristoff while Elsa decided to finish some paperwork before heading to sleep. On her way there she noticed a weird smell. She followed it and fell upon dark marks that resembled traces of fire. She followed those and to her surprise, they led her to William's door. Now she was confused, did something happened to him? To set her mind at peace she decided to open the door but before she could even place her hand on the doorknob, a hand landed on her shoulder stopping her.  
-If I was you, I wouldn't open this door and I would forget everything you saw. It was Tyler. He wasn't wearing his usual happy face, this time it was much darker  
-Well it’s a good thing you are not me. What happened? Is William OK? Did something happen to him? And...  
-You ask too many questions, nothing happened now do what I said, forget everything and go to your room.  
He stood there in front of the door not moving and staring at her, waiting for Elsa to go but she couldn't just leave like that. She was sure something was wrong and she had to know what.  
-Let me go inside, I have to check on him and I'm sure something is wrong  
-You don't leave me any choices, I warned you, and in a swift motion, Tyler hit her hard on the head making her faint. He then proceeded to pick her up and brought her in her room, laid her in her bed and left.  
The following day, Elsa woke up in her bed as nothing happened. Was it a dream? She had to make sure it wasn't. She got up and returned in the hallway where she had found the marks but to her surprise she found nothing. Elsa was now confused. Traces like that couldn't possibly disappear in a single night! Deciding she had dreamed all that she went on her day.

Two days had passed and William still didn't show up like he promised he would. Elsa had enough and decided she would stop fighting to try and know him. Yes, they were going to be married but she was not the only one who had to make an effort obviously he wasn't doing any.  
Kay had warned her an hour ago that she had to attend a meeting with the council, she was now on her way there. She wondered what they possibly needed to discuss as they already had a meeting not too long ago. The Queen entered the meeting room and noticed, sitting next to her seat, the Prince. He was different. He wore dark bags under his eyes and didn't shave either. He looked exhausted like he didn't sleep for weeks. She immediately became worried.   
She walked to her seat, William didn't even acknowledge her presence, he was stuck in another world  
-My Queen, me and the other councilmen think it's time to announce and prepare the wedding. We summoned you and mister Warlock so you two will have time to discuss the details. We will now leave you and we hope to hear more about it later. Oh and don't forget, tomorrow both of you have an appointment with the tailor. In a second, every councilman stood up and left the room leaving her alone with the prince.

They stayed there in silence. William didn't even seem to notice that they were the only two in the room.  
-Are you alright? Asked Elsa worriedly. William turned slowly in her direction. There was no light in his eyes and the normally strong man seemed weak and ready to break.  
-Sorry, you said something?   
-I asked if you were feeling OK. You look like hell.  
-I'm fine really. Don't worry about me, I'm great. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath  
So for the wedding just do what you want, I don't care it's your special day just ask your sister to plan everything I'm fine with every decision you make. I'll just go back to my room. But when William made a move to get up, Elsa stopped him  
-No, I'm sick of this. You always go hide in your room. What are you hiding?   
He stared at her for a minute, not really knowing how to respond and finally answered her  
-I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry at me. I haven't been present lately and it's not like I tried to be. I used my work as an excuse to avoid you but to be fair, I was scared of meeting you. It's true after all you are the Ice Queen and I didn't want to disappoint you but I ended up doing it. He coughed and clenched his fist again.  
They stayed in silence once more. William looked like he was about to faint but fight as best as he could to stay awake. Elsa had no idea he felt like this. She scared him. No wonder he avoided her, but something still wasn't right  
-William, can you..can you tell me what your work is about?  
He hesitated a second. It was time to tell her  
-I will tell you but not now. I will when I'll feel better I promise and this time I mean it. You deserve to know what I'm working on. Can I go now? We will see each other tomorrow at the tailor.  
This time she didn't try to stop him when he walked to the door and disappeared behind it.


	8. Great assemble

It was midnight when William left his room. He had an important meeting with his crew. Even if he was feeling like hell and barely managed to put one foot in front of the other he forced himself to go on.  
With a bit more difficulty he finally arrived at the meeting point but he had no idea that Kristoff had seen him and had decided to follow him.   
Everyone was already there, William took a seat on a rock and looked at every person that was present in front of him.  
\- Everyone, I'm sorry I'm late I had a bit of trouble coming here.  
-Don't worry Master we understand you are not feeling great for the moment, said one of the cloaked man respectful  
-Thank you I appreciate it. So let's begin with our little meeting, shall we? Danson, can you tell me how it went with team lambda?  
A man stepped forward and started talking in a clear voice  
-We bought a bar downtown to establish an information point. It'll take us some time before people come for business though.  
-Good, keep the information turning.   
They continued their little meeting, each team giving him their report and him giving them new orders to follow. Kristoff watched the exchange from afar not really hearing perfectly everything. After an hour the mountain man decided it was enough and went back to the castle.

The meeting was finally over, everyone had gone in a different direction as to not draw too much attention to them. The only one left was William and Tyler. The prince let out a deep breath and relaxed  
-Not to be disrespectful or anything but you look awful  
-Thank you for pointing that out Tyler. I don't only look but feel awful too. I don't know how much longer I can go. It keeps getting stronger.  
-You can fight this, I know you can. In two days it'll all be over  
-Yeah but for how long?  
They sat in silence, William let out a groan from time to time but apart from that, there was not a single sound between the two of them.  
-We will found a solution, you just have to ask Elsa how she did it  
-It's not the same thing T, but for you, I will ask her  
Tyler got up and helped William walk back to the castle 

 

-I swear Anna it was him! Said, Kristoff  
Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa were sitting around the dining table. The man was telling them what he saw the night before but Anna had some trouble believing him  
-Kristoff, you are saying that the Prince walked in the middle of the night to join some shady people?  
-Yes!  
-And why? He is a prince I don't see why he would do that right Elsa?  
-Well, I don't know. I got reports of cloaked people around town since he arrived and when I asked him if he knew who they were he told me he didn't but the day after reports stopped coming in. Maybe Kristoff is right.  
They debated longer on this subject, asking themselves why he would organize a meeting in the middle of the night with those people and whether or not they were dangerous. 

The next day Elsa went to the tailor with Anna and William. He seemed better than the last time she saw him even if he still looked tired. After the tailor took their measurement, Anna convinced William and Elsa to go around town with her. To her surprise and great pleasure, Elsa spends a great evening with them. Even if he still kept his distance with them, William looked like he was enjoying himself.

It was the end of the day, Anna went back to Kristoff and William escorted Elsa to her room.  
-It was a nice day, the prince told her when they arrived in front of her door  
-I agree we should do that more often  
The smile on his face slowly faded   
-I don't think it'll be a good idea, he turned around and walk away but Elsa stopped him  
-Wait! Why?  
-I..I...I can't tell you  
-William please, I'm not asking you to tell me all your secrets but I only ask you to tell me some of them. We're going to get married whether we like it or not so please talk to me, she half pleaded   
The prince seemed to consider her word and after a minute replied   
-You are right. Tomorrow come to my room, we will talk.  
And with that, he left. Elsa went in her room and went in her bed wishing tomorrow would come faster.


	9. New start ?

Elsa was nervous, to say the least. She had spent the night preparing herself for her meeting with William. A hundred of questions were running in her head and she had no idea if he would answer all of them.  
After getting dressed and taking her breakfast she made her way to his room. Once in front of the door she stopped, took a deep breath and knocked. The door opened not even a minute after.  
-Elsa, come in  
She entered the room and looked around. It was her old room before she moved in the royal suite two years ago.  
William sat at his desk and invited her to do the same.  
-I think we didn't start well and it's all my fault. To make it up to you I will try to answer your questions because I'm sure you have a lot of them.  
-Are you feeling better? What happened with you two days ago?  
-I don't think I can answer this one yet sorry.  
-Ok..so what are you working on? You have so much more work than me and I already found that I have a lot.  
William seemed to consider this question. He stared at her, wondering how he could answer that. After a minute or two of reflection, he finally said  
-As you probably know I have an older brother, Charles, and he is the king but he hates his job. He doesn't care about his kingdom, he only cares about himself and his comfort. He uses the money of the taxes to buy things he doesn't even need and he despises his people. I couldn't just stand there and watch my country crumble because of his incompetence! So we made a deal. I'll run the kingdom in the shadow while he'll pretend to hold the reins. Everybody thinks he is a genius but all he does is enjoying life and leave me deal with all his crap. I know what you are thinking and don't worry, I will have time for Arendelle. I just need to come up with a solution.  
Elsa was shocked by such information. So William was already a king in some sort? That explains why he had so much work. But Elsa had still some question left unanswered.  
-When I asked you about those cloaked men spotted around town you told me you had no idea who they were but Kristoff saw you with them the other night can you tell me more?  
-You know what to ask He chuckled if you want to know who they are you need to hear a story first. I'm sure you made some research on my family and I suspect you didn't found many things on me. You probably read that I was kidnapped when I was 6. It's true, I was taken by a group called the Damned.   
-Wait! the Damned like the one that had been created hundreds of years ago? But they are a group of assassins!  
-Yeah, they were. At the time they were led by a crazy man, everybody in this organization hated him. He..he tortured me and did things I don't want to remember. One day I killed him and since then I've been leading them. They obey me and follow me around. Thanks to them I created a wide information network. I know everything that's happening around the world.  
-So now you are the one that orders them to go on assassination mission?  
-They don't do that as much as before. Now we sell information and do some mission but if there is an assassination to plan, it's only on people who deserved it.  
She didn't know how to react. She had no idea he was running such organization. Should she be afraid or comforted?  
-Don't worry, they are really nice people. They are like my family they won't hurt you or anybody if I don't tell them to. I promise. William smiled at her, she felt protected in some sort of way and all her worries flew away. Maybe it wasn't that bad to have a secret organization on her side.  
-Oh, look at the time! It's already noon, you should go eat something  
-Why don't you join us then? Elsa expected him to refuse like always but to her surprise he accepted  
-After all, I promised you I will join you more often  
Elsa felt a new feeling blooming inside of her. She didn't know what it meant but it was a nice feeling. Even if she still had questions she thought it was better to stop for today. Tomorrow they will announce their engagement to all Arendelle and they will have to choose a date for their wedding. The time had finally come, she will marry a man she didn't know but would be happy to discover.


	10. Announcement

William had asked Elsa to keep their little conversation of yesterday a secret. Even if she was dying to tell Anna, she respected his decision and said nothing.  
Elsa and he were standing side by side in front of the door that will lead them outside where a crowd of people was waiting for them. This morning, Elsa had ordered some of her servants to spread the word that the Queen had an important thing to tell and as she expected, all Arendelle was waiting outside this door.  
Elsa took a deep breath, there was no turning back after today, everyone will know she was getting married. The Council had advised her to hide the fact it was an arranged marriage and to let them believe she had fallen in love with a prince from a foreign kingdom.   
She looked at William, he was nervous as well she could tell. She pushed the door open and stepped outside, he followed her a second after.  
As she appeared, the crowd shouted of joy at their Queen happy to see her. Only some of them noticed the man standing at her side. After clearing her throat and making the people silent, Elsa spoke  
-People of Arendelle I have a big announcement to make. As some of you probably know since several weeks a man is staying at the castle. This man is standing right beside me. I present to you Prince William of the kingdom of Onixia. I asked you to come here because we wanted to announce an important event, in two weeks we are going to get married

At her words, the crowd cheered even louder than before even if they had no idea who this Prince was they were happy for their queen.  
William not knowing what to say only nodded at the mass and waved at them earning another round of applause. After a moment the Queen dismissed them all and everyone returned to their activities, excited to be in two weeks for the wedding

 

Elsa was sitting at her desk with Anna at her side preparing the last details for the wedding when Kai entered the room  
-Your Highness, Princess Anna, may a present you Kyle Undergroov, Prince William's cousin.  
A man entered the room, he was blond with blue eyes, a bit short and thin, the total opposite of William and she had to admit, he wasn't as attractive as William was. To be completely honest he was rather ugly. He was harboring a smirk and something about his way of standing bothered her.  
-Queen Elsa, it's a real honor to finally meet you, he took her hand and placed a kiss upon it. The sudden contact sent chill down her spine, she sensed something evil radiating from this man  
I know I should have warned you but I wanted to surprise my dear cousin. I'm sure he talks about me a lot since we are so close.  
-Actually, he never motioned you.  
-Ouch, that hurt. Well don't worry, I'm sure the moment he'll see me, he will jump of joy but don't tell him yet I want to surprise him.  
-If you say so. Kai, can you please take Kyle to the guest room?  
-Of course my queen  
The two men went out of the room leaving the sisters alone.  
-Do you think William's really going to be happy about his presence? Asked Anna concerned  
-I doubt it. This man is weird. I'm going to warn William. Elsa stood up and exited the room.

Something told her that William was not going to be as happy as Kyle said he was going to be. Something about this man was not right, maybe it was in his smile? Or his posture? All she knew is that she had to be careful with him.  
Elsa arrived at the door of William's room. She knocked and waited a moment. After a second she heard a "come in" and opened the door. William was not alone, he was sitting at his desk with a woman wearing the same outfit as Tyler but in green next to him. He only nodded at her and without any further explanation, jumped out the window. Elsa waited for him to tell her who she was but when she understood he wasn't going to say anything she signs. Guess secrets will still be a thing between the two.  
-What gives me the honor of your presence my queen?  
-I wanted to inform you that your cousin, Kyle has arrived.  
Elsa watched as his face decomposes on the spot. His smile drop at an alarming rate leaving an expression of complete horror.  
-What? What is he doing here? Did you invite him without telling me?  
-I'm guessing you're not happy about his presence  
-Of course I'm not! He hates me!  
-That's not what he told me.  
-Don't go near him, ever, and don't trust anything he will tell you, it's probably going to be a lie anyway. Oh dear lord, he is going to ruin everything.  
-Why does he hate you so much?  
-I don't know. He always has. Maybe because his mother preferred me over him? All I know is that he has always tried to ruin everything that happens to me. When I was 4, he pushed me in the stairs so I couldn't go to my own birthday party. I broke my left arm because of it.  
-Oh poor little thing, she said with a light tone  
-Don't laugh it's not funny, it hurt a lot, he smiled  
They stayed silent after that, it wasn't uncomfortable but rather nice Elsa thought. She was sitting closer to him than usual. Normally he would have stepped back or ask for more distance but not this time. The air was warmer around him for some reason and it comforted her in some way. Elsa caught him staring at her, well it was more him that caught her staring, when she realized that, she blushed and immediately looked away embarrassed. William was about to comment on that but the door busted open before he could even open his mouth.  
-Hello, my lovely cousin!


	11. The cousin

Anger was all she could see in his eyes as Kyle entered the room.

-Well well that's what I call a warm welcome  
-Kyle, it's so good to see you, William replied through gritted teeth  
-I can see that. I wanted to surprise you but looks like your pretty girlfriend over there warned you.  
-Don't start you're married remember? Talking about that where's your wife?  
-Fiora? I don't know and you know what I don't care either. Well, I'm gonna go, leave you two alone.  
Kyle went out, William sign and rubbed his eyes. This was going to be a long week.

 

Everyone was sitting at the dining table including William. Elsa wanted to believe he came because of his promise but one look around the table told her otherwise. Indeed, Kyle and his wife were also sitting there. Elsa sensed William's discomfort at his cousin's presence but said nothing.  
-So Elsa, can I call you Elsa? Of course, I can. So as I was saying Elsa, how does my cousin treat you? I hope he has been warm enough with you. Kyle said with a smirk  
William rolled his eyes. And so it began   
-Well he works a lot so I don't see him often but he has been kind for the moment, Elsa answered honestly, not realizing she made a mistake  
-Oh, so you know how to work William? I always thought you were the type of guy to sit somewhere and wait for everything to come at you. William I'm talking to you said, Kyle, when he realized William wasn't paying him any attention  
-Oh sorry I thought you were describing yourself  
It went on like that, the two-man throwing remarks at each other and not caring about the other people sitting next to them  
-I'm curious about what you are working on thought? Kyle finally asked smugly  
The prince seemed to think before replying to his cousin, doing everything he could not to spill any valuable information  
-You see my dear cousin, I'm soon going to be King so I am just doing some research on Arendelle to know everything I can on this new kingdom.  
-Don't lie I'm sure you are doing some research on the ladies and I can't blame you, they are beautiful around here   
-How can you say something like that when your wife is sitting in front to you, William growled  
-I talk like I want to and she has nothing to tell me. She is just a burden anyway, I wish my father had chosen someone better  
-What are you reproaching her? She is nice and beautiful and you, he pointed an accusing finger at Kyle, you are not what we can call a gift  
-Well, she isn't either! After all, she is just another unrespectful woman  
The more the two argued, the more the room was getting warmer Elsa noticed. William was getting angrier by the second  
-What do you mean by that?  
-All women must do what the men order them and she always takes hours to do what I say!  
-How dare you say that when there are ladies around you. You have to respect them, all women are queen don't forget that! William said getting up and unsheathing his sword, pointing it at Kyle  
-I treat them like I want to and any women who breath is a thot! Kyle jumped to his feet and took his sword out too.   
They began to fight, sword clashing against each other angrily, they exchange insults while completely forgetting again their audience.  
Tyler was standing in a corner. He watched silently and a bit exasperate the interaction between the two men and when he had enough, he stepped into action. Tyler interpose himself between them and catch the two swords between his fingers  
-Gentlemen please, you are both a bit drunk. I'm sure a good night of sleep will calm your nerves. If you please go back to your seats, I'm sure everyone would appreciate.  
William was the first to put his sword back in his sheath and to walk back to his seats, grumbling incoherent words and crossing his arms once sited. As for Kyle, it didn't calm him but only added fuel to his inner fire  
-William, how can you stay with those rats after all they've done to our family? And you who do you think you are to touch my sword?  
Kyle abruptly withdraw his sword from Tyler's finger and walk back to the table  
-Fiora get up we are going back to our room  
-But I was talking with Princess Anna  
-Did I ask for your opinion? No, I don't think so, now get up! I hope that tomorrow you two are going to give me a nice little tour of this place. He angrily spat in William's and Elsa's direction.  
Anna sadly looked at Fiona as the poor woman got up and walked away with her husband.

Tyler went back to his corner while Elsa watched William worriedly. It was the first time she saw him attack somebody and she didn't want to see it again.  
After one more minute of silence, the prince rose abruptly   
-If you'll excuse me I'll return to my room. Elsa, I will see you tomorrow for Kyle's special tour. He spat and left


	12. A bit of planning

William was waiting with Elsa in the great hall. The two were silent not really knowing what to talk about. Elsa wanted this day to be over already, she was worried about Kyle and William's behavior. If they break into another fight she will have no choice but to use her power and she really wishes she won't have to use them.  
Kyle finally arrived, alone, he explained that he left his wife in their room, that was received with a groan from William but nothing more. She felt like he was trying to keep calm for her which she greatly appreciated.  
They made a quick tour of the castle and to her surprise, nothing major happened, except some cold exchange between the two men, but not a single real fight. They left William's cousin in the garden and then walk together to Elsa's office. Once inside, the queen took her seat and the prince sat in front of her. Elsa was curious why he had followed her here but made no comment as to let him time to talk.  
-Our wedding next week and my cousin's arrival reminded me that we haven't made a list for our guests  
-You're right, I totally forgot  
-Don't worry, if we made it now I can ask a member of the clan to send them for us.  
-Well, do you have some people in mind?  
-I don't really have close friends, I only have the members of the Organization but I definitely can't invite them. Wait I have one friend, Prince Hans of the southern isles he is a nice guy you'll see  
-No! Elsa exclaimed   
-No? Do you know him?  
-He tried to kill me and my sister at my coronation  
-What really? It's hard to believe why would he do such a thing?  
-He wanted to marry Anna and kill me to take power and when I froze Anna's heart he left her to die  
-You froze your sister's heart?  
-It's a long story  
-And I think I need to hear it, William honestly objected   
-Maybe if you join us after dinner when your cousin returns to his room, I can tell you with my sister and Kristof.  
-Ok, I'll be there, so if my only friend cannot come I guess I will just invite potential trade partner such as the Duke of Weselton? He is weird but I know what to say to have a good contract and…  
-No!  
-No? Again? What happened to him? The prince asked confused with the situation, he though Elsa was a woman with few problems but apparently, he was wrong  
-He called me a monster and tried to kill me when I set Arendelle in an eternal winter  
-You did what? When?  
-At my coronation  
-That day was something, I really need to know everything, he laughed   
-I agree and..., the door opened suddenly on a white cloaked figure. He had a scar on his forehead, black eyes and black hairs. He wasn't really tall but not short either. He seemed to be out of breath as he was panting heavily, Elsa noticed that William's men wore different types of color, she wondered why...   
-Hello Stephen, stop pretending to be tired please you're only wasting time  
-Thank you for your kindness, my Lord, I appreciate it, Stephen said ironically, I've looked for you everywhere and...  
-I bet you just went into my room  
-I..no..I yes okay you win. Anyway I have an important message for you  
William waited for him to continue but he said nothing, waiting for something  
-I thought it was important? Stephen threw a look in Elsa's direction telling William that they had to be alone. Elsa expected William to leave but he didn't  
-Go on she can probably hear it.  
-As you wish boss. So your brother is coming to your wedding  
-He's coming? But he told me he didn't care about this wedding why change his decision now and who will be let in charge then?  
-He wants to put Lord Harrington in control  
-That won't do, try to put Reguard instead it'll be better for us  
-As you wish Sir. The man left as quickly as he entered   
William waited a minute, deep in thought and said  
-If my brother is coming then his wife will too and if they are coming I'll have to invite my uncle, William sighed clearly annoyed, I prefer to warn you, my family is not great. They are like my brother but slightly worse, and will look for any opportunity to make money or take control of any situation so be careful with them and with what you'll say too them.  
Elsa promised she would and that she would try to stay close to him if she was approached by one of them. They continued to put names on the list and soon enough it was completed.   
William promised to be present at dinner that night and left the office. The Queen found that the prince was trying hard to be closer to her even if he was still distant physically she didn't mind. She was looking forward to tonight to tell him her story.


	13. Out of line

Kyle and his wife didn't show up at dinner this time to William's delight even if he was a bit worried about Fiora. Elsa had told her sister that William was eager to hear the story about her coronation and everything that had happened that day. Anna was excited to tell it because everyone she knew had already heard it and it has been a while since she had last talked about it. Kristoff was excited too, he wanted to see what would be William's reaction.

Everyone had finished eating. The servants were serving tea and picking up the empty plates. After a while of just sitting in silence, William spoke  
-So I think you promised me a little story  
-You are right. Anna, you're ready?  
-More than ever  
Elsa began by telling him her childhood spent locked in her room by fear of hurting someone, the loneliness of her nights and the never-ending days trapped with the guilt she felt because of what she had done. Then she explained the mixed feelings she felt at her coronation. Excitement for her new journey and fear of being hated by her people. She told what happened at the ball when her sister and she quarreled in front of everyone and the moment she lost control of her powers and her escape to the mountains. Then Anna told the story from her point of view, the way she met Hans and how she thought it was true love, the moment she discovered Elsa's powers and how she went after her. Then she told how she met Kristoff and their crazy adventure through the mountains, the meeting with Olaf and the one with Elsa. Anna said how it felt when her sister froze her heart (Elsa apologized once more to which Anna said it was nothing) and the race to the trolls. Then Elsa resumed her point of view. She talks about when Hans came with other men to bring her back to the castle and the moment when she nearly died, her wake up in a cell and her escape. Anna continued by saying how Hans revealed his true face and left her to die alone in a cold room, how Olaf saved her and finally when Hans tried to kill Elsa with a sword and how Anna saved her.

William stayed silent throughout the story, laughing at the right time, looking sad when it was but mostly he listened carefully, letting the two sisters tell their story. Elsa found at that moment that he was a good listener which was a good thing. She felt nervous about his reaction to this story, maybe he would change his vision of her? What does he think about her anyway? Maybe he would think she was dangerous because of her power and would treat her like a monster like the Duke of Weselton had done? But she was wrong, he only smiled at her and said that it must have been a crazy day for both of them, that he was happy everything went back to normal and that he would love to go in the mountains to see her castle made of ice. At that, Anna elbowed Elsa and said with a smirk they could go, just the two of them. Elsa blushed at the thought of being alone two days with him but said it was a good idea. William agreed and after more discussion and another cup of tea, it was time to head to bed. Elsa was a tad sad it was time to part, this moment was nice and she wished it could last forever. Maybe it will happen again one day? She hoped so. William walked her back to her room and after bidding her goodnight, he retired in his room.

 

Elsa felt tired and exasperated, she just had a meeting with a high lord who wanted to have more land. Why do rich people always want more? Her train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted when she spotted Kyle at the end of the corridor. She wanted to turn around and hide but it was too late he had spotted her too.  
-Hey Elsa! What a lovely day!  
-Yeah lovely, sorry I have to go, Elsa excused herself walking away but Kyle stopped her and pushed her against the wall  
-Don't need to hide my queen. I know how you feel about me and to be honest I feel the same for you so let's stop pretending to hate each other and let's dive into something more powerful, Kyle started to lean on her, his lips nearly touching hers. Elsa was panicking internally, what was she going to do! She started forming an ice ball in her hand and before she could hit Kyle, he was suddenly thrown to the ground. Elsa looked at her right and saw an angry looking William out of breath and ready to hit again  
-What do you think you are doing? William spat in Kyle's direction. He only looked at the prince and stood up as nothing happened  
-What? I'm only giving her the attention she deserves, what you're jealous she prefers me over you? William turned to her with a pained expression and came back to him and shoved him roughly against the wall, once again Elsa noticed the room temperature increasing with his anger  
-First, you try to seduce all the staff members and now you want Elsa? I don't want to see your disgusting face in this castle again! Now pack your bags and get the fuck out! If I see you again before the wedding I'll kill you, understand? William shouted. For the first time since the beginning of the discussion, Kyle looked a little scared but didn't show it. He pushed William to the side and walked away without a glance back.  
Elsa felt nervous. She didn't like to be in William's presence alone while he was angry, she had no idea what he was capable of. William sensed her distress and calmed down immediately   
-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you it's just, it made me so angry to see him this close to you but I shouldn't react like that. If you want to see other men I won't stop you. With a sigh, the prince turned around and headed to the gardens. Elsa grabbed his gloved hand without thinking and felt him tense under her touch, sensing this she quickly let it go but said  
-Wait, I have to thank you. I didn't want to be with him and I was about to freeze him before you arrived so thank you, you saved me. William seemed to be relieved at those words and even smiled in her way. William said no problem and resumed his walking. Elsa surprised herself smiling at his back, a warm feeling spreading in her body. She was cut out of her daydream when a butler came to tell her she had a meeting to attend to.


	14. The wedding

The long-awaited day had finally come. Today, Queen Elsa was going to marry Prince William.  
Elsa was sitting in front of her mirror, her dear sister behind her, breading her hair and whispering reassuring words in her ear. Yes, Elsa was nervous and afraid. Today she will be linked to William for the rest of her life and she didn't know how to feel about it because on one hand, she was happy he wasn't going to hurt her or treat her like dirt but on the other hand she had always dreamed of marrying the love of her life. Her sister assured her she would fall for him eventually but she doubts it. He was full of secrets and she was sure he wasn't planning on telling her the half of it.  
Anna helped her sister put her white dress and with the last smile she walk her out of the room.

William was standing in front of the altar waiting for Elsa to arrive. He couldn't stop but to feel nervous, he wasn't used to standing in front of so many people, all those eyes piercing right through him, waiting for a mistake. Well, that's how he felt it but in reality, all those people are here to celebrate and be happy with the couple. She was late he noted. Maybe she ran away? No that was not possible if she did what will her people think of her. Maybe she is looking for something to discredit him and make everyone hate him. No, she is not like that and why would she. Thousand of thoughts later, the door finally opened. William looked in its direction and was left speechless as Elsa walked inside. Her beautiful white dress was floating behind her making her look like an angel, her veil was covering her mesmerizing blue eyes. William didn't realize he left his mouth hanging open until she was facing him, hands politely folded in front of her. He quickly closed his mouth praying that nobody saw that. He looked away, avoiding Elsa's gaze, not wanting to embarrass himself any further.  
-We gather here to unite these two people in marriage. Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other. The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as lover, companion, and friend. A good and balanced relationship is one in which neither person is overpowered nor absorbed by the other, one in which neither person is possessive of the other, one in which both give their love freely and without jealousy. Marriage, ideally, is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes, and dreams. It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times, and be loving and unselfish. The priest said to the huge crowd in front of him. William looked at Elsa shyly and was surprised to find her already looking at him. When their eyes crossed, they immediately looked away. She was as nervous as him and was looking forward to the end of this day  
The priest turned in their direction and said  
-Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives?   
-We do.  
-Do you pledge to share your love and the joys of your marriage with all those around you, so that they may learn from your love and be encouraged to grow in their own lives?   
-We do.  
-May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you not only be reminded of this moment but also of the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other.   
Anna and Tyler made their way up to them and presented them their rings  
-Why are you always wearing black? Anna whispered to Tyler  
-I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color. He whispered back and smirked   
The priest continued  
-William, please repeat after me: "I William, promise to love and support you Elsa and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, and passion. With this ring, I thee wed.  
William took Elsa's hand in his ungloved and shaking one, repeated the vow and placed the ring on her finger  
The priest turned to her and said  
-Elsa, please repeat after me: "I Elsa, promise to love and support you William and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, and passion. With this ring, I thee wed.  
Elsa took his hand, repeated the vow and placed the ring on his finger  
-Go now in peace and live in love, sharing the most precious gifts you have, the gifts of your live united. And may your days be long on this earth. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.  
William took a hesitant step toward Elsa and lifted her veil. He quickly looked around him, everybody couldn't wait to see this kiss. With a final deep breath, William took his courage with both hands and turned back to Elsa. She looked as nervous as him and even a bit scared. He could tell it was her first kiss. William slowly leaned toward her and kissed her briefly on the lips.   
Even if it was short, Elsa felt his warm lips on hers. This feeling lingered long after the end of it. As for William, it was the opposite, it wasn't a warm feeling that stayed at the tip of his lips but cold. A good kind of cold, he surprised himself thinking wanting more.  
Everybody in the church stood up and cheered for the newly married couple. They ignored the fact that it wasn't a normal marriage but one that was meant to prevent a war. The priest calmed the crowd to continue the ceremony  
-We are now to begin the coronation of Prince William of Onixia.  
Sir, is your Majesty willing to take the Oath?  
-I am willing.  
-Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of Arendell according to their respective law and customs?  
-I solemnly promise so to do  
-Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?  
-I will  
-Will you to the utmost maintain respect to your people and promise to take care of their problems like they were your own?  
-All this I promise to do.  
The priest turned around and grabbed the crown, then faced William. The Onixian bowed and let the holy man put the crown on his head. The priest presented the holy artifacts and with shaking hands, William took them and turned to the people while the priest said his prayers in a lost language. William quickly put the two objects back on the pillow after the priest finished. Elsa took a look at the objects and found them a bit melted, she thought it was weird and was going to investigate on it more but was stopped by the priest that pushed her closer to William.  
The new married couple then proceeds to walk to the ballroom, closely followed by the rest of the guest. It was going to be a long night.


	15. The reception

William was waiting in the ballroom for Elsa to arrive. She had gone to another room to change for a more comfortable but not less elegant dress. He was standing stiff as a stick, obviously uncomfortable in this environment. After a minute Kai entered the room and announce the arrival of Elsa.  
She walked gracefully across the room and came standing next to him. It was a strange sight, Elsa was elegant in her gown, looking relaxed and in her own element. She always was the best at hiding her true feelings. William was not. It was clear for everyone looking at him that he would rather be somewhere else than here.   
The first notes of the first song came and as the tradition wanted the first dance was reserved for the married couple. William offered his hand to Elsa and guided her to the middle of the room, it was the first time he took her hand without any gloves on. It was a weird feeling for Elsa, his hands were warm while hers were freezing. She hoped he didn't mind. He then placed his other hand on her hips while she placed hers on his shoulder and they started dancing.   
Elsa was not a good dancer but William surprisingly was and this talent prevented the other from noticed the lack of grace coming from Elsa. She was clinging on him for her life every time she felt like she was going to fall, and each time, he would hold her against his strong chest. She would accidentally step on his feet and not once did he said a thing, he would smile like it was nothing and squeeze her hand a second to assure her he was fine. Elsa finds herself enjoying this closeness and when the dance came to a close, she wished she could stay in his arms a little longer but as soon as the song ended he let her go and after a quick bow, walked back to the thrones. After the cheers and clapping from the guests die down and everyone started dancing and minding their own businesses, Elsa went also to the thrones to join William.   
It was silent between the two. William was not feeling well because of all the sounds and the number of people moving in the room. He never was comfortable in a large group of people, and all this was making him feel more and more anxious moreover he wasn't wearing his gloves and that was really hard for him. He could feel a panic attack coming, his breathing quickened and he started shaking slightly. Droplets of sweat were running down his spine and his body temperature started rising before he could change into full panic mod a cold hand landed on top of his right one. William looked at his right and his eyes were caught by Elsa's. He could see confusion and a bit of concern in them.  
-Are you OK? She asked  
William stared a little longer in her eyes, trying to calm his breathing and retake control over his body before letting himself smile shyly and nod to reassure her. She let go reluctantly and turned her attention back to the party.

Sometime after this, the King of Onixia showed up.  
-Brother, I'm so proud of you. You managed to marry someone well you are lucky dad made this pact or else I'm sure you would have died alone, laughed Charles  
-Thanks, I guess. I'm surprised to see you, you told me you wouldn't take the time to come because it was a trivial event for you.  
-Well, you are my dear little brother, I wouldn't miss your wedding for anything in the world! And I've heard that gold is less expensive here than at home so I wanted to make sure it was true. Ah and tomorrow we'll need to talk about business.

After Charles left to join his wife, William let out a heavy sigh  
-Of course, he didn't come for me, what was I thinking, he whispered to himself. Elsa felt bad for him. She was lucky she had a loving sister while he had a brother who only thought about money.  
Soon enough plenty of important lords and trade partners came to meet the new king and arrange a meeting to re-discuss some contracts, Elsa had the chance (or displeasure) to meet the rest of William's family and to her surprise Kyle didn't show up to talk William down, in fact he was nowhere to be found.

The feast came to a close and it was time for the newly married couple to head to their room. Elsa had dreaded this moment. From now on she would have to share the same bedroom with William but it wasn't this detail that bothered her the most, even if it bothered her a bit, but the fact that tonight she will have to consume their marriage. She was not ready to do it and was terrified to tell William. What if he didn't care and would do it anyway? What if he would force her to do it every day until he got an heir? All those negative thoughts ran through her head but she ignored that William was as nervous as her, he didn't want to do it either. What if she laughs at him or forced herself on him? The two were walking in silence to their shared room escorted by Kai. Neither of them wanted to break the awkward silence that was surrounding them or even look at each other.   
Once Kai left them, they stayed still in the room too embarrassed to move or talk. William had no idea what to do or say. He didn't know how to start or ask her what she wanted. After ten minutes, William took his courage with both hands and said  
-I'll take the couch.  
-Wait, what?  
-Look we both don't want to do it and I clearly don't want to force you to do anything. I'll be sleeping on the couch so you can take the bed.  
-I cannot let you sleep like that  
-Don't worry, I don't sleep much anyway, I'll probably spend the night working William smiled and prepared the couch so he could sleep on it. William then laid down and told Elsa that she could change and promised he would not look. Elsa was hesitant at first but trusted his words and change into something more comfortable to sleep. She then told William he could do the same and waited until he changed too. She laid down on her bed and tried to sleep but after laying down for thirty minutes she decided that she would not be able to and sat on her bed. She looked at the couch and saw it was empty. She looked around the room and found William sitting at the desk  
-Couldn't sleep? He asked her after turning around  
-I can't fall asleep no. I can see you can't either, he smiled and turned back at his work, I have to finish some important stuff and I'm preparing the meeting with my brother for tomorrow. You will come too right?  
Elsa didn't know he would ask her and was a bit surprised. She asked him if it was really okay if she tags along to which he replied that she was the Queen and she had all the rights in the world to attend this meeting. They spend a good part of the night talking and laughing until it was nearly daytime  
-You should go back to sleep before the sunrise, William advised her  
-You should too  
-Ha no I don't...I can't really sleep.  
-Why?  
-Well, every time I try I just have nightmares. I haven't had a proper night since I was 6. I'm used to it now, three or four hours are enough for me don't worry, but I'm not so sure about you. You should rest, William smiled a last time to her and resumed his work while she allowed herself to finally fall asleep.


	16. Meetings and War

When Elsa woke up, William was at the exact same place but there was far more paper sitting next to him. At the sound of the moving sheets, the man turned around and when his gaze landed on the Queen, he exploded in a fit of laughter. Elsa was confused at his unusual reaction  
-What is it?  
-I had no idea that the flawless ice Queen could have such extreme bed hair!  
Elsa quickly looked into a mirror and saw what the problem was. Indeed her hair was as wild as the mane of a lion. She felt herself blush and try to hide under the cover.  
-Stop laughing it's not funny!  
-Sorry sorry I was just surprised. You can come out of your hiding place   
Elsa finally came out and met with William's playful eyes. She could still hear the sound of his laugh and caught herself wanting more of this sound. When she saw his smile slowly fade she knew she would have to wait a long time before this happens again.

After they both got dress, William filled her up on the different meeting they will have to attend that day. The first one was with an important trade partner of Onixia that William had invited to their wedding. The man seemed to be of old age and didn't seem friendly but when he saw William, a large smile spread across his face and he immediately rushed to his side to give him a hug, to which William didn't reply with as much enthusiasm. Elsa almost felt bad for him, Almost. They discussed over an hour about some trading contract and war alliance. Once they were finished with him, they went to another one and another one. Some ended well and other with a bit of disappointment but in general, all went well for the royal couple. 

The next meeting was the one William dreaded the most, it was the meeting with his brother.  
William took a deep breath before entering the room. There, sitting in all his roundness, Charles the Fat, as the citizen of the capitol like to call him, was sitting at the end of the table with a plate of fried chicken and bottle of wine in front of him  
-Finally, you're here! I've been sitting for ages!  
-Isn't a bit early to start eating?  
-It's always the time for food brother. Anyway, we don't have time for that, sit down we have things to talk about. Wait why is she here?  
Elsa suddenly felt out of place in her own castle. Yesterday William had assured her it was fine if she came along but given his reaction, she wasn't sure anymore.   
-Well she is my wife and the Queen, she has every right to be here, plus she knows of our agreement. Now as you said, we don't have time for this so let's start.  
-First of all, I don't approve of the new decree you've established you need to change that.  
-I had no choice, Charles! You take all the money from the people and don't help them in return, it was the only choice I had to calm them.  
-I don't care about them! I will not apply it so think of something better!  
-Actually no. Listen, brother, I am king now we cannot keep on doing this arrangement. So either you finally take your responsibilities or you step down and let me choose someone new to rule.  
-That's unacceptable! Charles said angrily while standing up How dare you to speak to your king that way! I will not step down, how could you even propose this to me you fool!  
-I don't know if you heard me the first time but I am a king, I can talk to you as I want. And I don't know if you noticed but you are not in your kingdom but in mine, so you better watch your tong. Now sit down and take a deep breath, we don't want to see you start a tantrum now, right?   
-William, you owe me respect after all I've done for you!  
-What? All you've done for me? Tell me one thing you did that did not revolve around you William responded, his voice getting harder on each word   
-I asked Father to let you live with us after your "mistake" even though I hated you!  
-You only did that so I could be your slave for the rest of my life but you know what, I have had enough of this! I will never ever help you again! So step down, be a prince, and let a real king led Onyxia  
-I AM a real king, I'll prove it to you! I will never let you choose my path! I'm going to replace every men and woman you hired and cut every tie I have left with you and I declare war to Arendelle! Charles screamed before storming out of the room. Elsa couldn't believe her ears, Arendelle was going to war against Onyxia! The only kingdom who had never lost a single battle! She looked over William and what she saw didn't calm her a bit. He looked surprised and she could see his anger vanish as the realization came down on him.   
-What are we going to do? She asked after a minute of silence  
-I...Give me one day to think. I'll tell you tomorrow. William stood up and left. Elsa stayed in the room for an hour before going back to her day. She had to talk to her sister.


	17. Preparations

Elsa asked Anna to meet her in her office. When her sister arrived, Elsa immediately flew in her arms seeking comfort  
-Elsa, what happened? Anna asked concerned  
-Anna I.. The meeting with William's brother was terrible!  
-Why? Did he say something to you because of your powers?  
-No, something worse. He declared war on Arendelle…  
Anna stayed silent not knowing how to react. Why would someone declare war to them? That's completely stupid, Arendelle had nothing to fight for. Anna asked her sister why he would do such a thing but instead of answering, she stayed silent. Elsa couldn't tell her why she had promised to William she would keep his secret life for herself but she had to tell Anna, she had the right to know. And it's Anna, Elsa was sure he would understand.  
-Okay, I will tell you but you have to promise me you won't tell anybody, not even Kristoff. I promised William I would keep this for me so please promise me.  
-I promise, now tell me  
Elsa told her William was leading Onyxia in the shadow while his brother was living a perfect life. She also told her about the Damned and his rough experience with them, she then told her the reason for the war. Anna was excited with all those new information about her step-brother and his secret life.  
-He is kind of bad-ass, leading a kingdom and a dangerous organization in secret. No wonder why he has so much work. Don't worry I won't tell anyone. But what are we going to do with this war, Arendelle doesn't have a strong army  
-William told me to give him a day to think. He will give me his solutions tomorrow.  
After talking for a while longer, Anna told her sister she had to go to town for some business. As for Elsa, she couldn't wait to be the next day.

 

Elsa had not seen William since the meeting with Charles, he didn't sleep in their bedroom and she was sure he pulled out an all-nighter to think about this problem. She didn't see him at breakfast either and wondered where they would meet up. Elsa decided to continue on her daily work, so she went to her office and started on her paperwork.

She was working for two hours already when William stormed inside her office without waiting for her permission.  
-I thought all night and let me tell you I have an extraordinary headache, but that's not the problem, we really need to talk and to plan and…  
William was pacing in front of her, talking so fast she could not understand a word he was saying. She was starting to feel dizzy watching him going back and forth and decided it was enough  
-William calms down I cannot understand what you are trying to tell me! Just sit down and take a deep breath.  
-Sorry, Elsa, I'm more exhausted than usual, I don't know why. Look, I've made every research possible on Arendelle's army and compared it to Onyxia's and it's not looking good for us. The army of Onyxia is one of the most powerful I've ever seen with thousands of soldiers ready to kill whereas Arendelle has barely a hundred men and I've seen their training, it's not great. We need to do something I…  
William fell silent with a guilty look on his face. Elsa could see dark circles under his eyes. He really didn't sleep. He was depressed and down, she had no idea how to make him feel better.  
-It's all my fault...this pact with my brother was a mistake, I should have never made him angry, I'm sorry I screwed up, you probably hate me now…  
-No, I don't, don't worry we will figure something out.

-It's just, I know I should stop caring about Onyxia now but I can't! I just cannot stand the thought of it being destroyed. You should really see it, William began to describe the beautiful landscapes with huge mountains, the giant forests that covered the lands and all the rivers that crossed the territory. He told her about his childhood he spend discovering every secret the kingdom held while his brother was learning with his father how to rule. Elsa listened to every word he was telling her, amazed by his love for his kingdom. She hopped one day he will love Arendelle as much and that he will be willing to do anything to preserve it.  
-It sounds beautiful, she said with a smile after he finished talking, But why did you have this much time, didn't your father teach you how to be a good prince too?  
-My father teaching me something? Ha don't make me laugh, he despised me. He only cared about Charles the perfect child who was the most intelligent and for my little sister who was his sweet angel. I was only the one in the middle, the clumsy boy who will never accomplish anything in life. Look where I am now, running his kingdom in the dark while his favorite child his enjoying his life to the fullest. This dumbass can't even write a small trade contract. I was the real king since he was crowned! William was being angrier the more he talked about his family. William continued to ramble about his brother for a while, Elsa was feeling sort of happy, it wasn't every day that William opened up to her and let out his frustration. Plus it lets her know his family better. Even if the heat was only going up, she didn't feel threatened by it. Thinking about this heat, Elsa only became aware of how weird it was that every time William was angry or frustrated, it would become warmer in the room. If it was summer, Elsa would have blamed it on the weather, but it was winter so it made no sense…  
-Sorry I got carried away…  
-No, it's nothing, I'm happy that you trust me enough to tell me things like that. Your brother is really something, do you have an idea about what we could do for the war?  
-If I know Charles correctly and trust me I do, he will do anything to end this as soon as possible. Once the other kingdoms will ear about the war, they will invade Onyxia while the army is busy with us, which will result with my brother panicking and for him to flee to another country and, in the end, both Onyxia and Arendelle will be over. Lucky for him, I posted some Defenders at the borders to prevent a scenario like that, so in any case, Onyxia should be fine. I don't know if it's good news for you but for me, it is in some way.  
-The Defenders?  
-Right, I never told you how the organization worked, well you know the Damned is pretty huge and even if I have a good memory, it's hard for me to tell who is doing what so I divided the organization in five. There are the Defenders who are in blue and like their name say they defend. Then there are the Attackers in red, they are like soldiers if you want. The one in black is the Assassins and you know what they do. There is the Finders in green who travel the world to find information for the Informers in white. They are the one who sells the information or rapport to me.  
-It's more organized then I thought, William smiled at her comment, proud of himself  
-I spend a lot of time creating this system. But anyway back to the topic, in all my years of leading the country in the dark, I had plenty of time to infiltrate some of my men inside the army as soldiers or in the castle as maids. I even succeed in introducing some of them in the council. Of course, my brother will fire some of them but lucky for us he's got a terrible memory so he won't remember all the people I hired. With that, we will be able to spy from the inside. But even with that, it'll be hard to win. We need to strengthen your army, some Attackers and Defenders will train your men and I will ask some groups of them to join your force to extend our army. I fear it won't be enough…  
-We can use your spy in the army to strike from the inside, Elsa proposed after a while. William lifted his head looked at her with a large smile that made her insides melt  
-That's a great idea! We can make enemies change sides and fight for us or convince them to give up and not fight! We can even do the same with the people, you're brilliant Elsa really.  
-We can also ask Arendelle's allies for help, continued Elsa with red cheeks  
-Of course! I didn't think about that, with them our army will grow even stronger and maybe we'll stand a chance! We really make a good duo but there is still one problem. War is expensive and I don't think Arendelle has the money...Wait a minute, Elsa why are we married!  
-Humm...To prevent a war?  
-And why did my father want to make war?  
-I have no idea  
-Because of Arendelle as secrets resources!  
-What really?  
-I remember my father talking about gemstones and gold in the mountains. He even had a map of where they could be.  
-Whoah, that's great we need to found this map.  
-Yes and as soon as possible, I will ask a maid in the castle of my brother to found it for us. At the same time, try to contact your allies and ask for help.  
William left the office to let Elsa at her work. She was surprised at how well they worked together. She let herself smile, maybe her future was not as dark as she thought. Little did she know of the danger still hiding in her own town.


	18. Changes

William had warned his men about the map and was expecting them to found it soon. Elsa had sent letters to some of her allies asking for soldiers, she hoped they would help her because William had told her some of them were Onyxia's ally to and it would be difficult for them to choose. If they decide to take Charles side, it would put her in an uncomfortable situation.

This morning William had told her about his idea to change council members. She didn't even think twice and gave him free rein to decide who should replace who. Elsa thought it was finally time to give a youthful look to the council composition as it was the same as in her father's time, it was full of old men that didn't like her because she wasn't as good as her father in their eyes. William then asked her to arrange a meeting so he could make the changes. She was surprised he was already ready to make them which only meant he had already thought about it a long time ago. After going in their bathroom to change, Elsa went to Kai and asked him to inform the lords of the council a meeting was planned for ten in the morning.

Everyone was present for the council meeting. The lords had no idea why the Queen and King had asked for a meeting, maybe for the war?  
Once everybody was comfortably installed, William asked Elsa if he could begin, after her nod, he stood up with some papers in hand  
-Thanks, everyone to have mad it in time. We are sorry it was not planned but we need to discuss some matters. First of all, I want to thanks each and every one of you for your loyal years of service. The lords all smiled pleased by William's praised but it quickly disappeared when they heard what came next, Unfortunately, some of you will have to leave your post.  
This announcement sent chaos in the room. The lords were not taking the news well as William had predicted  
-This is unacceptable! We've been here longer then you boy, you cannot just fire us without a reason, Lord Marween grunted  
-Sir if I were you, I'll watch my tone, and if you had waited for a second longer before complaining you would have heard the reasons.  
Marween looked down ashamed of his words and apologies  
-I think we can all agree, and I don't mean to offend anyone, but you are all old people. We need fresh ideas that match our vision. Surely with the previous King, you were all helpful but now all your ideas will only slow us down.  
-Your Majesty, I must disagree with you. It is true that we are all of a certain age but it means we have more experience to guide you. Please reconsider your decision.  
-I've already reconsider it and the Queen and myself agree it is time to change. If I call your name, you are demanded to leave the room.  
Elsa and William then proceeded on calling names, the lords left one by one muttering curse under their breath thinking nobody could hear. Once they were finished, only six lords were still sitting at the table. They let out a sigh of relief, happy to be still useful to their King and Queen. William had not chosen those six randomly, he had made his research on every one of them.  
-Well, congratulation on those who made it. You will meet the new members tomorrow when we'll be doing the meeting about the upcoming war. Thanks again, you are all dismissed.  
William waited until they all left before plopping down on his chair and letting a sigh of relief  
-That went better than I thought, well the beginning was a bit hard but it all went well. Who are you going to hire?  
-The Slashed. William answered. When he saw the confusion in Elsa's eyes, he added, Each one of them leads a section of the organization. They are the persons I trust the most in this world, I'm sure you'll like them too. And they… William was cut by a shooting pain in the chest, his breathing was unsteady and painful. Elsa rushed to his side panicked, not knowing what to do. She ran to the door and called for Tyler and quickly went back to his side running a hand behind his back, trying to relax him but it didn't seem to work. Tyler finally arrived and rushed next to William. Seeing in what state his master was, Tyler put an arm under his legs and one behind his back. He left him up and went as quick as possible in William and Elsa's bedroom. Elsa followed closely the black cloaked man, not wanting to be too far away from William. Once in the bedroom, Tyler laid him on the couch, William was now asleep, he was sweating and had pain written all over his face  
-What happened, Elsa asked   
-Nothing, Tyler was about to head out but Elsa stopped him by grabbing his arm  
-Not this time. Tell me, now.  
-Look it's not for me to tell you. Be patient, he'll talk to you when he's ready.  
-Is he ill?  
-Not really, listen don't worry okay? Tyler left.   
Elsa decided to stay until he wakes up, she brought her work over and took the time to check on him from time to time but nothing was really changing. She called a maid and asked her to bring a bucket of cold water with a towel. Elsa would soak the towel in the cold water and then put it on William's forehead. It seemed to work a bit, William's face was relaxing little by little. Elsa did it again and again until there was no trace of pain on his face anymore.

When William woke up, he noticed something next to him. He looked closer, it was Elsa's head. She was asleep with a wet towel in her hand. Did she spend the night taking care of him? William sat slowly as to not wake her then got up and carried her to the bed where he laid her down under the blankets. After looking at her for a second, he went out, shutting the door silently and walked to the gardens still exhausted from yesterday.


	19. The new council

Elsa woke up in her bed confused. She didn't remember going to bed, the last thing she recalled was when she was changing the towel on William's head...Oh...When Elsa realized what had happened she felt her face heat up. She hides it in her hands, trying to cool down but the image of William carrying her to her bed was too much. She took a deep breath and calmed down. It was time for the meeting anyway.

William was already sitting at his place with five other people, probably The Slashed as William had called them.  
-Elsa, you're here, let me introduce you to the new council members.  
William began by pointing to a man called Isaak Rystad who had a scar on his chin and was dressed in black, the head of the Assassin if she remembered the color right. He had a tiny nose and hollow cheeks that accentuated the thickness of his heavy eyebrows, dark brown eyes, and short black hair. He was thin and looked very tall. He nodded to her in acknowledgment. William then presented the woman sitting next to Isaak. Her name was Kate Enestam. She had a scar on her left eyebrow and was in blue, she was in charge of the Defenders then. She had bright green eyes and long blond hair. William continued with the man sitting across from Kate, he was dressed in red and had a big scar cutting his face lengthwise. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and his hair was the same color as chocolate, he had a strong body and like Isaak, he was tall even when he was sitting. Red meant he was leading the Attackers. His name was Magnus Svendsen. She noticed that Stephen was sitting next to him, she smiled at him which he returned with a wave. He was in white like last time. Now she knew he was in charge of the Informers. Next to him was the woman she had seen in William's room, she had onyx eyes that looked like William's left one. She too had jet black hair down in a braid. She was in green so she was the leader of the Finders. Looking closer to her, Elsa found that she looked somewhat like William.  
-This is Lyla, you saw her once in my room. Well now that you've met them, I hope you'll like them too, William smiled nervously. Elsa said she was sure they would all get along fine and went to her place next to William. Lyla...She had already heard this name somewhere but she couldn't remember where. She needed to make some research on that. Elsa took the time to talk with everyone and try to know them better. William was right, they seemed to be really nice and welcoming.

After ten more minutes of waiting, the other council members took their place around the table. This time, it was Elsa who spoke first.   
-We are here today to talk about the upcoming war. We need to come up with a strategy against Onyxia. William and I have discussed some idea and we came up with the conclusion that we needed money to win. Luckily, William's father had found important resources inside our mountains.  
-It's one thing to know those resources are in the mountains but it is another one to found them, grumbled a man  
-My father made a map of the general location of the gemstones and gold. All we'll have to do is dig where it's indicated. William said  
-And where is this map?  
-Probably in my brother's office.  
-And how are we going to retrieve it, this castle is probably heavily guarded  
-Don't worry about this little detail. Once we'll be in possession of this map, Elsa and myself we'll go with some soldiers up in the mountain to found the gemstones and gold. In the meantime, some of my men will train the soldiers and prepare our defenses.   
-Shouldn't at least one of you stay here to rule? Let me remind you that you don't have an heir yet, what are we going to do is something happened to one of you?  
-I asked Elsa to stay here but she refused. We will choose someone of trust to replace us. And don't worry, I trust Elsa to get us out of a dangerous situation, William answered with a smirk in her direction. Elsa couldn't breathe, this was just too sweet!  
-Plus, we won't be alone, soldiers and miners will be with us.  
They continued to discuss in details about their defense and general plan for the war, everyone trying to found the best strategy and idea. Elsa could sense William was fighting against sleep, she was scared he would faint like last time but it never happened. 

The meeting was over before she even realized it. She waited with William until everyone was gone and walked with him down the halls. She was feeling happy, she had noticed the way he would try to be closer to her, whether it was physically or just by the way he talks more to her. He would even compliment her from time to time, which made her feel weird inside. She could really see them becoming good friends if things continued in this direction. She thought about the Big Five and the fact they all had a scar on their face like William. Thinking of this, she wondered what happened to him  
-William, can I ask you something?  
-Of course my Queen, anything  
-I was just wondering, the fact that they all have a scar, is it on purpose?  
-When you reach the Alpha rank, you have the honor to be scarified by me. It's the greatest mark of respect you can receive.  
-How many grades are there?  
-I'm glad you want to learn more about the Damned, William smiled brightly, Well there is 5 grade. First, there is the rang of Gran master which I am. Only one person at the time can have this one. Then there is the Alpha, this is the rang of the Slashed. Only five members at the time can have this grade. Below there is the Beta, the Gamma, and the Omega.  
William explained to her their respective roles and place in the organization. She asked him a lot of question on the history of the Damned and was surprised by the passion with which he answered them all. He knew everything, he confided he had read the journals of every master that had ever lead the group. Elsa and William spend a good part of the night talking about whatever crossed their mind.


	20. Ice Castle

It had been two weeks since the council meeting. William had asked Magnus and Kate to train Arendelle's soldiers, they were making a lot of progress even if they had to keep training. Some new soldiers came from allies that agreed on helping Arendelle. Things were looking good for them, the royal couple had been receiving reports of William's spies that were favorable for them. Apparently, Charles was doing things his way and refused to listen to his generals. All they needed was the map, but they won't have to wait long. A maid had found it in a drawer in Charles office one day and it was on its way.

Apart from that, Elsa had noticed William was getting more and more tired and she knew it was not due to his lack of sleep. Something was draining his energy and she suspected it had something to do with the incident that happened last time, but every time she tried to talk to him he would change the subject or stop talking.

It was morning and everyone was sitting around the dining table to eat breakfast. William was there too, in fact, he had not missed a single one of them since the wedding. Anna was talking enthusiastically with Kristoff about stuff neither William nor Elsa knew about while Olaf was just zooming in and out of his thoughts. It really was an odd picture.  
The large wooden door opened on a white hooded woman. She was holding a letter in her hands and walked fast in William's direction. Once she had delivered her message she walked out of the room without a word. The former prince of Onyxia opened the letter and found inside the map as well as a report.  
-Looks like we'll need to plan or little expedition declared Elsa  
-And we'll come with you! Said Anna   
-No way, you are staying here at the castle  
-I will not change my mind. Kristoff and I will come with the both of you, plus no one knows the mountains better than Kristoff  
The two sisters argued for about ten minutes before coming to an agreement. Anna and Kristoff will be allowed to come if they accepted to run away at the slightest danger.

Kristoff was preparing Sven with the help of Anna for the long journey that awaited them. William was giving the last orders to the soldiers that were coming with them while Elsa was standing next to Tyler a little further. Today they were going to head for Elsa's ice castle and then they would go to the mountains.

They were gone for two hours now, the weather was not looking good, William could tell it was going to snow and the temperatures were pretty low. Elsa noticed his discomfort and went to him.  
-Hey, you're okay?   
-Yeah I'm fine, just cold that's all  
-You don't like the cold?  
-It's not that I don't like the cold it's just when it's too cold I get sleepy, Elsa chuckled  
-Sleepy? I guess I have to lower the bedroom temperature to get you to sleep then  
-Please don't, William smiled  
They continued their small talk not knowing that Anna was listening closely and smiling throughout their interaction.

The journey came to an end when the small group finally reach the ice castle. Like last time, Kristoff was almost crying in front of such beauty, complementing Elsa on her work and examining every detail he didn't have the chance to see last time. Elsa looked nervously at William, waiting for his reaction, she for some reason, needed him to like her work too. William turned to her with an amazed look on his face  
-You really built this? It's incredible what your powers can do. First a living snowman and now a giant ice castle. You're amazing, he said while looking around,   
He didn't catch the blush that was spreading across her cheeks but Anna did and decided to tease her sister later. 

They opened the large ice door and to everyone's surprise, they found a large menacing snowman wearing a crown. Elsa slowly approached him and put her hand on his head to show him he was safe and that nobody would arm him. She then took her crown back, relieved to have found it.  
The small group decided to settle in the large room upstairs to be more comfortable. As William had told her, he was getting sleepy inside the castle. She found it cute the way he would fight against sleep to stay awake. His eyes would close and directly shot open a second after. She smiled without realizing it, a dreamy look on her face. It was at this moment that Anna decided to have a little bit of fun.  
-Looking at something beautiful?  
-Ye...I mean no!  
-You're not a good liar, Anna said in a singsong voice, Elsa's blush deepened, she didn't know where to hide  
-Come on Elsa you can tell me, you like him  
-What no! That's ridiculous I don't like him!  
-So you hate him?  
-Well no I don't I mean I…  
-Stop Elsa just admit it  
-Okay, I may like him a little…  
The smile on Anna's face grew bigger, she launched herself in her sister's arms happy for her. She took her hand and drag her away from the group so they could talk without drawing too much attention to them.  
-You're gonna tell him?  
-Tell him what?  
-Come on Elsa don't be so dense, tell him that you like him of course!   
-Are you crazy? I'm never going to tell him that, plus I'm sure he doesn't feel the same…  
-Are you kidding me? He likes you too, it's obvious, he is much closer to you than in the beginning. And...Anna was cut by Tyler calling them to eat. Anna smiled at her sister with her thumbs up. Elsa only rolled her eyes and went sitting next to William. Elsa had created a table when they had arrived so they could sit.  
The whole dinner, Anna would throw Elsa glances or make subtle suggestions that would make her blush slightly.

It was night, everybody was asleep, even William couldn't resist the call of his pillow. This is where four mysterious hooded figure took advantage of the situation and entered the castle without anybody noticing. They walked up the stairs and opened the icy door leading to the room where everybody was sleeping. One of them went directly to Elsa and put iron gloves on her hand. Another one went to Anna and tied her hands behind her back. The third one went to Tyler and tied his hands behind his back. The last one went in the middle of the room and blew in a whistle, waking up everyone. William looked around still half asleep, not understanding what was happening.  
-Hello hello, my friends! This voice... William could recognize it from miles away, it was Kyle's.  
-What are doing here Kyle I thought you went home!  
\- Well you see, I wanted to go back home but, I don't know something was bothering me. The idea of you living happily in a castle at the head of your very own kingdom was unbearable. How could you live without telling them the truth about you? So I thought to myself ‘Why don't you warn them about him?' And here I am with some of the members of the council you have fired. They are really angry at you-you know, they want revenge and you know me, I cannot just let people down.  
-What do you mean telling them the truth about me?  
-Don't be impatient cousin. Guys tie the soldiers and put them in the corner. We only need the Queen, her sister, the mountain man, the two traitors, and my lovely cousin.  
The three men did as they were told and tied up the soldiers then put them away. They then put the rest closer to Kyle.  
-Now that everyone is comfortably sited let's begin. Cousin, I leave you one chance to tell everything.  
-I...I don't know what you want me to say! Kyle this is ridiculous just let us go and I promise I won't do anything to you and the other.  
-Lies! You are a liar and you'll always be! Shouted Kyle changing his calm behavior with a more aggressive one, You lie to everyone every damn day! Does she know you're a monster? Did you tell her what you've done to our family? I don't think so  
-Kyle stop warned William fully awake now.  
-Do everyone here feel that? The temperature, it's rising. And you know why? Because my dumb cousin over there is getting angry!  
So Elsa wasn't the only one who had noticed this.  
-Kyle stop talking!  
-You don't give me orders you traitor! Said Kyle to Tyler, So you didn't tell them about what happened with your Father? You didn't tell them that he died because of Tyler here? Or that time when you nearly killed my mother.  
-It was an accident!  
-An accident really? She will never be able to move ever again in her life! But I guess it's better than what happened with your mother.  
-Don't you dare finish that sentence, threatened William, anger clearly showing on his face. Elsa could only see rage in his eyes, the heat was rising more and more by the seconds.  
-Or what? You're going to burn me to ashes like you did with her?  
This was the last straw, without thinking William sent a ball of fire in Kyle's direction, burning his whole face. Kyle screamed in pain while William was petrified in his spot. His anger had disappeared, only leaving fear and incomprehension. He was shaking, looking his hand with fright.  
The screams of Kyle turned into maniacal laughter   
-You burned me! He burned me did everybody saw it haha he's a monster look at him!!  
William couldn't stay here anymore, he could feel his powers burn inside of him, trying to get out. He was starting to lose control.  
-Don't listen to him just breathe and calm down! Screamed Tyler but it didn't help the King as his breathing quickened, his clothes were starting to catch fire and panic was completely taking over him. After taking a last look at Elsa, William ran to the window and jumped out.


	21. Revelations and transformation

Kyle was sitting in a corner tied with the other men, laughing like an insane person. His face was burned but it seemed like he couldn't feel the pain, he had had his revenge and that was enough for him. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were still shocked by what they'd just discovered. Elsa had some doubts about William, she knew there was something special about him. The way the room would heat up every time he was a bit angry, how Olaf would slightly melt next to him or the strange burned marks she could found sometimes. She should have guessed sooner he had powers like herself. The simple fact that he was acting exactly like herself when she was scared of her powers should have set off alarms bell in her mind, after all, he was always wearing gloves and always made sure to have some space between him and the others. She was also astounded by what she had learned about his past. He had seriously injured Kyle mother and killed his own, that was surely the reason why his father didn't like him that much.  
The heavy silence that had felt down the giant ice room was interrupted by Tyler. He had been sitting on one of the chairs that were around the ice table. He got up and walk furiously to Kyle  
-What have you done you, idiot!  
-What, I just delivered the truth. You should be happy traitor  
-Stop calling me that or I swear I'll punch you so hard in the face you won't wake up for days. I don't know if you've realized, but William cannot control his powers for the life of him! If we don't do anything we are all screwed!  
-I doubt it. You and your little friend will be alright, after all, you are friend with this monster  
-What did you not understand when I told you he can't control them! You know what, I'm done talking with you. We should leave them here and go find him. We wasted enough time already.

And so Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, and Tyler went after William leaving the intruders with the soldiers so they could take care of them. Elsa thought it would be difficult to track him down but his warm aura was melting the snow where he had walked so they only had to follow the water puddles.  
William was much faster than Tyler remembered, this was bad news for them. They have to take him back to the castle before he completely loses control but what he could see wasn't good. At the beginning of their hunt, they only had to follow the melted trail, but the more time passed, the more the snow around them was melting and the temperatures rising. They did as they could to stay on track but Tyler was getting desperate, normally William would come to him to calm down but not this time. William had warned him that his powers were getting stronger and he didn't listen to him. All this was his fault and he could never forgive himself if something bad happened to his best friend.

It has been more than an hour of chasing and wandering around the woods. Everyone was exhausted, they decided to rest in a cave not too far away. Tyler noticed it was warmer near the entrance, the snow had completely melted around it. His heart beat faster as he realized that William might be in it. He instructed the small group to be quieter and to follow his step.  
He slowly entered the cave, it was dark and the air was sizzling hot, it was hard for them to breath properly. With every breath they took, they felt their lungs burning. They walk a little further and spotted a light in the far left corner with a man standing in front of it. Tyler motioned for the others to stop while he approached the shadows.  
-William is that you?  
Tyler could see the source of the light, it was fire. When the man turned around it grew bigger, illuminating the whole cave. Elsa could now see him, William was looking different than before. His hair was now completely red as well as his eyes, his scar seemed to glow a strange orange shade but what surprised her the most was the look on his face. Instead of giving a sort of hesitant vibe, he was now emitting a strong and confident one but something in his eyes told her it wasn't really him anymore.  
-Well well well what do we have here?  
-William please calm down and come with us. We will help you  
-Calm down? Help me? I'm perfectly calm, I don't need your help you stupid insect. What, you want to keep me contained again when I'm finally free? It was getting warmer as his voice began to rise, I can finally do whatever the hell I want! If I want to burn you to the ground here and now there is nothing to stop me, so disappear of my sight before I get tempted.  
-You're clearly not yourself anymore! Quit being stubborn and come home with us. You need to get a hold of yourself, your melting winter!  
-I don't want to and I don't care, I hate the cold  
-William, please come with us, this time it was Anna who pleaded for him to follow them, it hurt her to see him like this. She wanted him to get back to normal  
-Who gave you the right to talk! William said turning in her direction with a look of disdain, All your faces are making me angry, I don't want to see you anymore, get out! William sent fire in Anna's direction, Elsa quickly built an ice wall to stop it from hurting her sister. When the fire collided with the wall, it exploded sending millions of pieces across the cave.  
Before William could send another fireball, Tyler grabbed Elsa's hand and ran to the exit. Kristoff grabbed Anna by the waist and followed close behind. Seeing them run made William angrier as he exploded sending fire in all the cave. The small group barely made it without a scratch.  
They ran as far as possible not wanting to be near him in this state.  
-We need to tell Lyla, said Tyler after a while when they had stopped to take their breath. Elsa didn't understand why they had to warn her, was she that important to William? She asked Tyler and his answer left her confused   
-Lyla is William's sister of course.  
Everything made sense now. Her name was the same she had read when she had made some research on William. Why didn't she thought about it sooner? Elsa felt stupid for a second, was she getting jealous a minute ago? Of course not, what was she thinking.

The moment they arrived at the castle, Tyler requested an emergency meeting with the five Alphas. They all meet up in the council room, Tyler told them what happened with William. They felt a kind of anger towards Kyle, Isak even went as far as suggesting to murder him but Tyler said that as tempting as it sounded, they couldn't do it without William's approval. Isak felt frustrated, he wanted to avenge his boss and friend but in his absence, it was Tyler that was in charge so he didn't argue.  
Lyla was in tears, she couldn't bear the thought of her brother suffering alone in this cave. Even if he was saying he was happy and free, she knew it wasn't true. Maybe he thought he was but deep down he surely knew he was still trapped. Tyler asked if someone had any idea how to help him out of his state, Kate proposed to capture him and lock him in a cell until the effects of his powers wore off but it was denied as it was too drastic. Lyla blamed herself, it was the main mission of the Finder and she as well as her teams had not discovered anything that could have prevented this disaster.  
Elsa jumped in the conversation and assured her it wasn't her fault and that she was sure she had done everything in her power to help her brother. Lyla wiped her tears with her hands and thanked her sister-in-law with a small smile.  
Silence filled the room as everyone tried to find a solution for their King. To everybody's surprise, it was Kristoff that broke it.  
-I think I know someone that should be able to help us  
-And who is it?  
-A good friend of mine, answered Kristoff, not wanting to say too much.  
The reindeer lover proposed to go see his friend the next morning. Tyler asked Lyla, Elsa, and Anna to come with them. He then gave missions to the rest, Stephen and Isak had to continue to spy on Charles with their respective teams while Magnus and Kate had to keep on training Arendelle's army. Tyler really hopped William will come back to normal soon because he wasn't sure to be able to help Elsa lead this war.  
After deciding on an hour for the next morning, they all went in different directions.


	22. Help from the unexpected

After a long night of rest, they all meet up in the dining hall. Elsa had trouble falling sleep that night, the absence of William was something she would have never expected to affect her. All night she thought of what he had become and what he'll be if nothing was done, she was not going to let him down, not now. She really needed him and not only for the sack of Arendelle. She will never admit it to anyone but she dearly missed him.  
Elsa asked her sister where they were going after they all set off, but she wouldn't tell her. Anna just smiled brightly at her sister and walk faster to join Kristoff. Elsa stayed at the back with Tyler and Lyla. It was weird to be with them without William. Generally, when she was in the presence of one of the Alpha or just a member of the Damned he would be there by her side, giving orders here and there or complementing their work. It is true that sometimes she and Tyler would be alone in the same room but it was never for long.

The little group was immersed in a strange kind of silence. It wasn't every day that even Anna would have trouble engaging a conversation. She was hesitant to talk to Lyla, after all, it was the first time they met. It wasn't like Anna to be afraid to talk to a stranger though but something about this women was intimidating. She inspired respect much like her brother. She had this calmness that surrounded her and relaxed Anna in a strange way.  
Lyla felt Anna's eyes staring at her so she looked in the princess direction with a confused look. Anna blushed, embarrassed to have been caught staring at someone. In fact, she had not realized she had been doing that before she was looking directly in Lyla's bright onyx eyes.

-Sorry I didn't mean to stare...mumbled Anna, Lyla gave her a small smile and walk next to her, Lyla held out her hand to shake hers. Anna didn't wait to take it.  
-So you're Elsa's sister, right?  
-Yup, that's me! And you William's  
-Exactly. 

A small silence fell upon the two women, Anna couldn't think of something to say. It really was unusual for her to be this quiet around someone. Normally when she wet a new person she would be extremely excited and would ask thousands of questions to know them better. Elsa saw the sudden shyness of her sister and decided to join the conversation to hopefully help her out. But before she could catch up with them Lyla spoke

-You know, I'm glad William decided to marry Elsa.  
-Well it's not like he had a choice  
-He had in fact. After all, your dad and mine are dead so technically the contract was broken but my brother well, he hates unfinished business, so it was more like a question of honor? I don't know, sometimes I don't really understand him. I think he thought your sister could help him with his powers.

Elsa decided to let the two continue their conversation, she didn't feel like being a part of it anymore. She felt like she had been betrayed by William. Who was him to decide her future for her? Marriage was a big deal for her, she had only accepted to marry him because she had to but now that she had learned she didn't have to, she felt angry at him. His face appeared in her mind and this anger disappeared immediately, it was replaced by a small smile. She was glad in a way, if he had chosen to not fulfill the contract then she would have never met him. She didn't like to admit it but she knew she was starting to like him more than a simple friend.  
Tyler was intrigued by the sudden happiness that seemed to emanate from the Queen. He decided to investigate more on the reason for this strange behavior.

-What are you smiling about? Tyler asked playfully 

Elsa flushed, embarrassed at being caught by him. She told him she enjoyed the little hike but when he raised his eyebrow and his smile widened she knew he didn't buy her lie. He stared at her for an uncomfortable period of time without letting down his silly smile. Great...He was suspicious she could tell. How come he always read her mind so easily?

-You should know by now it's useless to lie to me.

Elsa kept her mouth shut. She couldn't tell him the real reason, he would tease her from dusk till dawn, worse William could found out! It was far too embarrassing to share so she simply turned her head the other way. Tyler chuckled as her face grew redder. He let her alone, it was no use to force her after all, he already knew.

 

They walk thirty more minutes before they finally reached their destination, the small group arrived in a sort of small rocky valley. Anna and Kristoff walked around talking and greeting rocks while Tyler, Elsa, and Lyla stayed back, looking confused at them.

-Rocks...They are talking to a bunch of rocks...I'm sorry to break it up to you my Queen but your sister and brother in law have completely lost it. Said Tyler still starring at the two discussing with a small rock. Well, I think we're gonna go, but before they made a move to go back, the ground started to shake as the rocks rolled in Anna's and Kristoff's direction, Elsa did what she could to avoid some of them who were rolling towards her. Tyler looked a little overwhelmed by what was happening  
-Trolls...he whispered amazed, but they are supposed to have disappeared  
Suddenly every single troll stopped their greetings and turned in Tyler's direction. When they spotted Elsa, they all bowed down. The Queen felt kind of awkward standing in front of them like that. She quickly told them to get up and treat her like her sister which they immediately did. The group of troll split in two to let pass an older looking troll.  
-Your Highness, it's an honor to meet you again  
Memories of that fateful night came rushing back before Elsa's eyes. She knew this place looked familiar but couldn't put her finger on why.   
-Grand Pabbie we need your help, said Kristoff, kneeling beside him, our friend William, the King is in trouble  
-How can I assist you?  
-He is like Elsa, he has powers. He can control fire  
Grand Pabbie looked surprised, and after a second of deep thoughts he said  
-Was he born with them or cursed? Tyler join in the conversation and answer that William was cursed, he then added that he had completely lost control over his powers  
-This is going to be difficult. If he was borne with them, all we had to do was to make an act of true love. Love is the most powerful magic that exists. It can break almost every spell but curse...not so easy. Only the witch or wizard that cursed him can lift it.  
-It's going to be hard knowing he killed her.   
-I see...maybe there is another solution. All we have to do is kill it  
-Kill William are you insane! Tyler yelled, just suggesting that can be considered an act of treason!  
-I'm not saying you have to kill the King, I'm talking about the curse, Gran Pabbie replied quickly to diffuse the misunderstanding, The curse prevents him from controlling his powers, if it's gone then nothing stops him from having total control of them.  
-But how do you kill a curse?  
-Lucky for us our Queen has ice powers which are the opposite of our King's one. The only thing you'll need to do is to make him open his heart and freeze it  
-I will not do that. What if what happened to Anna happened again?  
-Do not fear my Queen, the curse will do everything to fight the ice. It will keep him alive and when he'll wake up, the curse and the ice will be gone. assured the old troll  
Elsa still seemed to doubt his word. She just couldn't stand the thought of William turning into an ice statue. She already had a hard time forgetting her sister's sacrifice she didn't need another trauma.

After discussing in details their plan, the group resumes their ascent to the cave. The closer they were from William, the more nervous Elsa found herself. She was afraid to confront him again. He had changed so much in so little time it was scary, just thinking about what he was like now scared her. She felt a presence at her right side, she was surprised to see it was Lyla.  
-Els...I mean..My Queen I...  
-You can call me Elsa  
-Ok so...Elsa I know I have no right to ask anything but please save my brother. He doesn't deserve all that, he always cared for me. He was the only one who loved me for who I was and didn't treat me like an object. Ever since the kidnapping, he changed. I want him back, I really miss him.  
-I will try my best, promised Elsa with a small smile.

The landscape surrounding them was nothing like Elsa had ever seen. The snow that was supposed to be omnipresent had completely melted, leaving trails of mud and puddles everywhere. Elsa found it beautiful in some ways but she still preferred the real winter scenery. Maybe William and she could take a walk in the forest one day, only the two of them it could be nice she thought.  
The walk next to a half-frozen river. She could hear the water running underneath the thin layer of ice. It was warmer the closer they were from the cave. Soon the group found themselves sweating and it wasn't only due to the walk, it was caused by the incredible heat coming from the entrance of the cave.


	23. Back home you'll go

William was sitting on a throne made of ashes. It is true it wasn't as beautiful as what Elsa could probably do but still, William was proud of himself. Even if he felt like it could crumble at any minute he still thought it was the best thing he had ever made with his powers.  
He was sitting, deep in thought. The words of Tyler were ringing in his head. Save him? Help him? Who does he think he is? William doesn't need help, after all, he has never felt better. Of course, it was a lie he was telling himself hoping it would become a reality. In fact, he could feel a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach, growing each hour like something was trying to come out and he was scared to finding out what. 

William heard voices outside the cave, he stood up and walk slowly in their direction. He didn't have the time to get too far away from the throne before the people that were once outside the cave were inside. William didn't believe it. Anger boiled up right in his veins as his eyes landed on every single one of their faces. The already suffocating temperature suddenly increased, his body started to shake and to be honest, even William didn't know why their faces angered him so much but it did and he couldn't stand to be in the same room as them.

Elsa felt as though she was going to faint. This intense heat was making her feel sleepy. She had to fight this sleepiness, now wasn't the time to give in. It was interesting to know that she suffered in the same way as William does with cold temperatures.  
Lyla didn't recognize her brother, he who was always looking at her with eyes full of love was now sending daggers through her. Even if the heat was unbearable, she felt cold inside.   
-I thought I told you to go away!  
-Listen, William, we don't want to harm you, we only want to help you, Tyler tried to resonate but it only enrages William further  
A verbal fight started between the two men while the other stood at the side no knowing if they should jump in or not. What was happening was good for them Elsa thought. After all, Gran Pabbie had advised them to make William open his heart and the only way it was possible was for William to spill his guts and tell the reason for his anger.   
Elsa was a bit scared by William right now. Watch him shout at his best friend was weird and scary, in fact, angry William was scary.  
-If you are as fine as you say why are you so mad at us!  
-You really want to now? Are you absolutely certain you want to know why every one of you makes me want to burn everything down?  
His words stunned Anna, Elsa, and Lyla. Even Kristoff was cut off guard. Did he say every one of them? What have they done to be on his bad side?  
-So let's start by our favorite red-headed princess, shall we? Well, first of all, one could think she would have the same life as me right? After all, when I was a prince I had so much work that some days I didn't have time to go see the sun! But no, Anna's not like that. She is free and you know why? Because her bloody sister does her work correctly! All Anna has to do is walk in town every once in a while so people don't forget she exists! She even had the right to marry a commoner because her sister's so nice that she let her marry him because she believes that love's more important than money. But was Willy allowed to do that? Of course not, what a silly question. Willy didn't even have the right to talk to them.  
His eyes shifted to Elsa, they were staring directly into her soul  
-Let's talk about Elsa now. Let me think…oh right. Everyone loves her, after all, why not? Her powers are cool, she can do incredible things with them plus she is beautiful and smart. She listens to her people and respects them. Unlike me. I am just a horrible monster with dangerous powers. Everybody hates me because of them, why can't I be loved like you? Every time I look at you, I'm just reminded I'm a failure. William spat with venom. His gaze then shifted on Lyla. His eyes hardened more  
-My lovely sister, why could I hate you? I've always done everything I could to protect you. I've given you my love and support for everything you've done. When you said you didn't want to be a princess and go discover the world I did what I could to please you and how did you thank me? By disappearing one day without warning or a trace. Why would you tell Willy right? After all, it's more fun to let him believe you've been kidnapped and that you were going through the same shit like him. And of course come back two years later just like that and beg him to join his organization so you can enjoy your life to the fullest.  
Lyla lowered her head in shame while William looked in Tyler's direction  
-You, I think you are the one I hate the most out of everyone here. You think I don't know what you've done? I was young yes but unfortunately for you, nature gifted me with an incredible memory. You are the reason my life is shit! You are the one who kidnapped me! I don't know what is stopping me from burning you to ashes here and there! You've been pretending to be my friend for all these years because you felt bad for me, now I've had enough.  
-William wait I know it's my fault but I really think of you as my best friend I…  
Tyler didn't have time to finish as William threw hot flames at him. Elsa was quick to react and erected an ice wall in front of him. Everyone took cover behind the wall or behind rocks. Lyla looked at Elsa and said  
-Now it's the time!  
Elsa walked out of her hiding spot and faced William. She was half asleep, her energy completely drained by the heat. William looked as angry as ever, his clothes were even starting to catch fire. She had to do something and fast. If he engaged a fight against her, she was sure she was going to loos.   
William fired fire at her, she dodged it and send a blast of ice in his direction but the hot temperature melted it before it could even reach him. If she was going to freeze his heart, she'll have to be closer to him. With the last strength she had left, Elsa created walls of ice all around William and before he could destroy them, she ran to him and blasted ice to his heart.  
The temperatures suddenly dropped as William crumbled on the ground, his hands clenching his heart. His body abruptly catches fire, it was impossible to distinguish his form through the flames, only his screams could be heard.  
Elsa couldn't stand this scene as everyone else in the cave. She was afraid she had actually killed him. If she had, she would never forgive herself.  
Luckily for her, the flames disappeared as fast as they had appeared leaving an unconscious William lying on the floor. His hair was back to normal but there were white locks of hair mixed with the black and red ones. Elsa knelled by his side to feel his face. He was freezing cold.

-We need to bring him back to the castle now!


	24. Waking up

A week has passed since the confrontation. When they had reached the castle that night, William was freezing cold and was still unconscious so Elsa had decided to install him in her bed. She wanted to be sure he wasn't going to die in his sleep. It was weird for her to sleep in the same bed as him, for the first few minutes she didn't dare to move fearing she was going to wake him up but after a while, she gave in and fell asleep. Since then she let him in her bed, it reassured her to feel him close to her and it was easier for her to check on him and see if he was still breathing correctly. Sometimes his temperature would change from being cold as ice to hot as lava. When it happened she would put one hand on his forehead and the other on his torso to cool him off but of course, she couldn't spend her day at his side so she asked three maids to take turns at his side and take care of him. Whenever she was far from him, she couldn't help but worry. Every time a maid or Kai would enter her office, she would immediately think it was to tell her something bad had happened to William. The only time she felt completely relaxed was when she was lying next to him, his breathing cradling her gently to sleep.  
Because of this, Elsa had come to realize that she had fallen for him. Even if it was hard to accept it at the beginning, she was in complete agreement with her feelings. She was just scared to share them with her sister. She knew she would tease her to no end and make her life hell but in a way she felt like she had to, after all, she was her sister and best friend.

While William was still unconscious, Elsa was left to deal with all the war stuff and country running. She had to all the important decisions. What she didn't expect was for Tyler to be by her side all the time like he was for William. He would stand somewhere in a corner, giving her advice when she was struggling to choose what to do or sit in front of her desk to do William's paperwork for the Organization. They had become a lot closer these past few days, she had discovered a lot of his personality, he even confessed to her he had a crush on William's sister. At first, Tyler could be seen as a clown, always making jokes and not caring about anything but it was just a mask. In fact, Tyler was paying close attention to every detail. He was very focused and always thinking ahead of everything, planning every action. She knew he had a close bond with William but the way he talked about him and how he would ask her how he was doing each morning let her believe he views him more like a little brother.

Being in charge alone also meant she had to attend the council meeting by herself. It was weird to sit with the Alphas and a bit intimidating too. It was awkward at first but they did everything to make her at ease, they even became good friend with her. They were all very nice and funny, even if some of them had a weird side. It was a first for Elsa, she never had a group of a friend before. In fact, she never had any friends except for Anna but it didn't really count, she's her sister after all.

Gerda was cleaning the windows in the hallway. She was one of the oldest maid working for the royal family and had seen numerous king pass since she had begun. She knows this castle inside out, not one secret passage is unknown to her, she could run in the hallways with her eyes closed she will never hit a wall. Queen Elsa had asked her and three other maids to take care of the King. She had been told he had fallen sick and needed all the attention. Never in her life had she seen a sickness like this one, it was scary at what rate the King's temperature would go up and down. It was strange but she wasn't a doctor so she didn't really question it. But his illness wasn't the only strange thing she had noticed. When the Queen had announced her wedding it had really surprised her because this man had appeared out of nowhere and Elsa claimed they had fallen in love. Gerda knows what the Queen thought about strangers so learning she married I man that had entered her life not long ago had come as a chock but she trusted her Queen and she was sure it was more complicated than she thought.  
She had no real opinion on the King and she knew nothing about him, only that he came from another kingdom. She never had the opportunity to talk with him or see him in action. Usually, he would spend his days in the royal office doing whatever a King is supposed to do. So she couldn't say if she likes him or not but she knows Elsa pretty well so she is sure he is a nice fellow.

Realizing she had spaced out, Gerda quickly went back to work. She had a heavy schedule so she didn't have time to relax. Coming right after window cleaning was hall brooming, then she had to see the King and change the wet cloth on his forehead that was used to cool him down. When she'll be done with that she'll go in another part of the castle to clean or help other maids.  
When she opened the door, she sees exactly what she sees every day, the King laying in the same spot on the bed. She walks to him and removes the wet cloth that was on his forehead, she had to admit, he was pretty handsome. She found his hair funny with all those different color. It was mainly black but here and there, there were locks of red or white hair which was sort of special.   
She took the basin of cold water at the feet of the bed and walk to the bathroom to fill it up with warm water. Once it was full, she went back to the bedroom and placed it back in its place. She bent down to wet the cloth but when she was about to put it back on his forehead, she let out a startled scream. Instead of facing a sleeping face she came across the King's open odd eyes. After her heart got back to a normal pace, she ran out of the room to tell the Queen the news.   
William straightened up with a lot of trouble and before he had the time realize what was happening, Elsa barged in and ran up to him, squeezing him tight in her arms. She quickly felt him tense up so she released her embrace but remained close to him. He looked at her confused, he didn't understand why he was in her bed and the possibility that they might have been sleeping in the same bed made him blush slightly. He was waiting for some explanation but Elsa kept staring at him with a smile and a contented expression plastered on her face. Her sudden interest in his face made him uncomfortable, he wasn't used to this. Elsa realized what she was doing and straightened herself, taking a more formal position.  
-I'm glad you finally decided to come back to us. You really worried me  
-How long was I asleep?  
-A week I think? You should go the to the kitchen and grab something to eat, I'm sure you're starving.  
After a last hug, Elsa exited the room to go back to her office. William was left alone, still sitting on the bed and not completely awake. He felt weird and lost, something inside him was missing. He didn't feel any anger or anything for that matter. Since he had been cursed, the only emotion he could feel was the rage, any other feeling was suppressed by it and now that he was freed from it, he didn't remember how to feel any other emotion. A wave of panic overtook him, what if he felt empty for the rest of his life? What if he won't be able to feel anything ever again and will have to keep on pretending? His breathing was becoming erratic and his heart was starting to clench in his chest. He brought his hands on his face and started crying, at least he know he could feel terrified again.

The first night William had tried to sleep on the couch again but Elsa had stopped him, saying it reassured her if he sleeps with her. He tried to persuade her but she stood firm and convince him. She was already used to his body lying next to her so not a problem but form him, it was a different story.  
He was lying on his back at the far end of the bed, trying to be as little as possible. He didn't know how to behave and was scared to be to close in her personal space. As for her, she was already fast asleep, she looked so peaceful and calm. William realized he had never taken the time to really look at her. She had white skin that looked to be soft to the touch, full cherry lips, a heart-shaped head, and white hair. William blushed deeply when he realized how long he had been staring at her. He was blushing a lot lately, he thought with confusion. Deciding he won't fall asleep, William stands up and go out of the room.

The next morning, Elsa found the part of the bed where William was supposed to be cold and empty, she did not think much about it, knowing that he had trouble sleeping, and probably went to work in the office. She began her morning as every morning by getting dressed and going to the breakfast room with her sister and Kristoff. Olaf sometimes joined them, but most of the time he wandered somewhere in the castle or played with the children in town.  
This morning was one of them. Elsa sat at her place at the top of the table and started eating what was before her. Anna was sitting at her right with Kristoff. They were talking sweetly to each other and feeding one another. Elsa couldn't help but wonder how it would feel if she was in her sister's place with William in place of Kristoff. She quickly drove this idea out of her head cursing herself for even thinking it.  
After breakfast, it was time for her to go in her office, William was certainly already at work since this morning, she couldn't let him work this hard after he just woke up. 

Yet when she opened the door he wasn't there. She confusedly looked around the room and couldn't found any evidence he had been there at all. She didn't have time to ponder this any further so she sat down and started to work in an instant telling herself she would try to find him later.


	25. Talk

She didn't see him all day or the next one. He would go to bed long after her and wake up way before her. She began to wonder if he was avoiding her, she asked Tyler if he had seen him but like she was expecting, he didn't. This situation went on for several days, sometimes she even wondered if he went to bed at all. One time she tried to stay awake to wait for him but she fell asleep before she even had a chance to talk with him. She truly wanted to go after him but 1) she had no idea where he could be and 2) she really didn't have the time. 

One time Elsa woke up in the middle of the night with her stomach growling. She went to the kitchen to grab something to eat and on her way back, something caught her attention. Music was coming out of a room. Intrigued Elsa followed the sounds and ended up before a door, the music coming out of the room was beautiful and pleasant to hear. She carefully opened it, trying to do as little noise as she could as to not interrupt whoever was playing. She was shocked to discover the person playing and singing. It was William playing the piano and singing in a language she couldn't understand. It was weird to see him again after so many days without even a sign of him. He hadn't shaved and his hair was a mess but she finds it kinda attractive. She listened to him without letting her presence known. She doesn't want to make him uncomfortable and mostly, she doesn't want him to stop. His voice is hypnotizing and so nice to listen to, she did not know he could sing so well and play the piano. It was something she always wanted to learn but didn't have the courage to do, maybe one day he will take the time to?  
When she felt like the song was coming to an end, Elsa slowly closed the door and went back to sleep, a pleased smile on her face. As for William, he continued to play all night, unaware someone had visited him.

It was ridiculous, this situation had lasted for far too long, Tyler thought, walking with a decisive step to Elsa's office. He walked in without even knocking and sat in front of her without waiting for her to completely acknowledge his presence.  
-Yes? Elsa said her eyes still on her paper, knowing perfectly who it was  
-You need to talk to William  
At his name, Elsa looks up interested in the conversation.  
-Why don't you? Wait... don't tell me you're scared  
-Can you blame me? I'm not sure if he meant what he said that night and I think it'd be better if it was you who talk to him first  
-Well, I'd like to but I don't know where he spends his days.  
-You're lucky I do

 

Since William woke up, he felt a little... empty. For as long as he can remember, he lived with nothing but anger deep inside him and now that it was gone, he had like a huge hole in his heart. Since he had been cursed, William had to pretend to feel happy or sad at the right time, when in fact he just felt annoyed at best. He tried to get back to work, but the decisions he had to take were difficult to make and he couldn't decide on what to do. Before he couldn't care less about what would happen to other people but now he has a strong sense of empathy and every time he was about to approve something, he would think of the people that were going to get hurt. William didn't have what we can call a "clean" life and he was aware of it. He had done things and made decisions that, at the time, didn't bother him but was now crushing him and making him fall in a bottomless pit of despair. He just couldn't bring himself to go back to work and face everyone like nothing ever happened. Yes, he remembers every detail of that night.

This is why William would do everything to avoid everyone. The most difficult was Elsa, after all, they were sharing a room, more specifically, a bed. This was the main reason he spends most of the night playing music, he wanted to make sure she was deep asleep before going to bed. He knows she is waiting for him and he knows she can't handle the call to sleep.

If at night he would wander around the castle and relieve his sadness into music, during the day he would wander outside. He likes to walk in the garden, to feel the sun on his skin and hear the birds singing around him but what he loves the most is going around the lake. The water was still frozen and there was snow lying everywhere. Winter was coming close to its end but it felt like it was just beginning. He used to hate the cold because it made him sleepy, winter was one of the seasons he hated the most. It is true that the cold still made him want to sleep but he didn't view it as a bad thing anymore. He loves how the snow would make everything look so white and pure, even if it was cold to the touch.  
William had a spot where he would sit after his daily stroll around the lake. He spends his entire day there, thinking about everything that went wrong in his life, his insecurities and how to fix his problems. When he was tired of that, he would simply take the time to look around him and observe the animals living their life. He was a bit jealous of them, they could do whatever they wanted without fearing judgment. Nobody had any expectation for them, all they had to do was to found food and survive.

William looks next to him and notices the snow surrounding him has melted because of the heat he emits, leaving a patch of fresh green grass around him. Farther, he could see a deer licking the ice in hope to drink a bit of fresh water, next to him was a small white rabbit eating a tuft of grass and hopping around him. The two of them looked like old friends, it was funny to look at. He let himself smile at this rare sight. At this moment, he found himself lucky to be sitting there, without any real weight on his shoulder and no responsibility. A voice in his head screamed at him that he was fooling himself and that he had responsibility but he chooses to ignore it and continued to watch the two animals.

Every day was the same, after his walk, he would look a those two playing with each other. But today was different, this time he couldn't see them anywhere, he waited all day, not a sign of them. He came to the sad conclusion that they had been killed by a wolf or by a human. He felt sad, his day wouldn't be the same without them, they brought him joy and some sort of innocence but now, well the white scenery would stay empty. There will be nothing to distract him from his dark thought.  
A branch creaked behind him, William slowly turned around, his heart beating fast. He couldn't believe what was before his eyes, the deer and the white rabbit were standing still and looking him in the eyes. The king had no idea on what to do, he stayed still, staring back at them, waiting for one of them to move. If it was him who made the first move, they would run away, so William had to be patient.  
The rabbit was the first one to hop closer, slowly but surely, he made his way to Williams's lap. The king let the small animal get comfortable, not believing his luck. The deer wasn't too long before he joined his little friend. The deer approached William and lay down next to him, resting his head on the king's thigh. The moment felt magical to William, it was the first time it had ever happened to him and he wishes it won't be the last. During the first few minutes, he asked himself why they had come to him but he figured it was because of his warmth. They probably had sensed his natural heat and seeking more warmth they had come to him. And so every day since then, the two animals would join William and stay with him, William even named them: Kevin the Deer and Snowball the White Rabbit. He would talk to them, he really felt like he had created a sort of connection with the two. William considered them as his friends. When he stood up to go on a walk, they would follow him around. Sometime other animals would join them. It was funny to watch all those animals following him around like pets and the king felt protected sitting in the middle of all of them. 

One day William was taking his daily walk around the lake when he had spotted Kevin not too far away. He was going to join him when he notices a Hunter ready to shoot his arrow. William's eyes double in size as he realizes his friend was in danger, he was about to warn him but unfortunately, it was too late. The Hunter let go of the arrow as it splits the air in two, going straight to Kevin's side. The deer crumbled to the ground shrieking in pain. William's blood boiled in his veins, his hands tightened into a fist, teeth digging into his lips. Without thinking twice, the king sends a blast of burning hot flames in the hunter's direction. The man had little to no time to dug behind a rock to protect himself from certain death. Once the flames had died down, the Hunter ran in the opposite direction of William. Luckily for the king, the man had not had the time to recognize him.

William rushed next to Kevin, the Onyxian panicked at the sight of blood on the white snow.  
-Don't worry Kevin I will save you just...hang in there buddy. I'm just going to take out this arrow and cauterize your wound with my flames, I know it's going to hurt a bit but trust me… When William looked at his friend he realized it was too late, the light that used to shine in the deer's eyes was gone. Lips trembling and eyes full of tears, William let out an agonizing scream not believing what had happened. Snowball who had witnessed the scene hopped closer to the sobbing king, trying to bring him comfort. William took the fur plush in his arms and cried in its soft pelt. The king promised Kevin he would give him a proper burial, and so William started to dig a pit with his bare hand.  
It took him a while and a lot of pain but William managed to dig a proper grave for his friend. With a bit more effort, William gently placed the deer in its grave and filled back the hole.  
-I will avenge you, Kevin, I swear it on my life.

 

William and Snowball followed the footprint the hunter had left behind him while escaping. It took them more than 10 minutes to find a little wood cabin. The king put his hood up and slowly walk closer to the window. The inside was plunged into darkness, no one was there. Perfect. William carefully opened the wooden door and closed it right after he and his little friend has entered the small cabin.  
-Well looks like we have some work to do, William took the first chair he saw and smashed it against the wall. He did the same with all the furniture he could get his hands on, and soon the little cabin was filled with pieces of wood and other materials. Out of breath and out of things to break, William's anger had finally died down. The man took the rabbit and made his exit as discretely as possible and started to head back to the castle, the night was beginning to set on the small house.

After what happened today, William refused to let the small ball of fur to go back to the forest by its own, so he decided to take it with him inside. Knowing that Elsa would probably not accept an animal in the bedroom, the King made a stop in the stable to prepare a nice bed for Snowball.  
When William stepped inside the stable, he ran into Kristoff and Anna making out. His cheek took an impressive shade of red and before the two lovers could say something, he rushed out.  
-Was he really holding a rabbit? Asked Anna

 

William had no choice but to bring the small thing with him in bed. To his surprise, Elsa wasn't in there yet. William changed into his nightgown and went under the cover with the rabbit close to his chest. He decided to wait for Elsa to come, as to explain why there was an animal in bed with him. He didn't have to wait long before the door open. When her eyes fell upon him, she stopped in her track, arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. He straightened his posture and keep eye contact with her. He had been avoiding her for a week now and he ignored how to start a conversation.  
Elsa was in the same position. Was she supposed to confront him about his absence or start a debate about the fact that he had been completely forgetting his role as King?  
The apparition on a small white thing caught her attention. She walks closer to see what it was. Snowball raised his head in her direction and went back into his ball-like position. Elsa's eyebrow arched higher  
-What is that?  
-It's..it's a rabbit. His name is Snowball, I know it's not very original but I-  
-A rabbit?  
Silence took over the two, Elsa kept shifting from one foot to the other before joining William in bed. She waited a minute or two, surely he was going to engage a conversation right?

She was wrong. Instead of speaking, he turned his head in the opposite direction, avoiding her gaze. At first, she thought he was mad at her but she quickly realized he was just embarrassed, which confused her even more because she hadn't done anything to embarrass him, well at least she thought.  
She waited patiently next to him not knowing how to engage the conversation and wishing he would speak first. As the minutes passed she knew he would not say a thing. Elsa took his silence as a way to tell her to go so she stood up and started leaving but William grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back in bed, still looking down and refusing to meet her eyes. He keep his hand in hers even when she was sitting. His warm hand was nice against her cold one, she wondered if he had realized he was still holding her hand. Elsa was about to say something but he spoke first  
-I'm sorry  
-What are you apologizing for? she furrowed her eyebrows  
William stroke the rabbits back, thinking carefully about his next word,  
-I...I've been a crappy King and probably the worst husband in the world lately. I left you with all the work and let Tyler in charge of the organization even though I know he hates paperwork. I've been horrible with you and your sister, I don't even know why you still talk to me…  
-You're right, you've been very absent lately. And you've been avoiding everyone, including me. Listen, I don't blame you, I know how you feel, I've been there in a way. But I cannot help you if you don't talk to me, so please, help me out

With a heavy sigh, William started telling her everything he was feeling. His fear of his anger coming back, his emptiness inside, the shame of his behavior towards her and everyone else and the regrets he felt of that night. She did her best to reassure him, she promised him she would never let him become once again clouded with rage and that she would help him gain control over his power.

They talk some more before going to sleep. For the first time in many years, William had a good night of rest.


	26. What is coming

William felt good after this good night of rest. He felt enough courage to go talk with Tyler and Anna to apologize. After talking to them, and a surprise hug from Anna, William was able to join Elsa in the office and resume his work. Tyler was relieved to be free of paperwork and start over his position as a bodyguard. William spends the majority of his day in the office catching up with everything that was happening in the kingdom and in the organization. In the afternoon, he went down to the training ground to see how the soldiers had improved. They had become better, that he could see, but he knew it was still not enough to win the war. William felt guilty, victory seemed to be so far and out of reach, he doubted Arendelle could succeed even with the help of his little army. He had to share his worries with Elsa  
-I think we are doomed  
-Why so pessimistic all of a sudden?  
-I've seen the guard, they are stronger than before but it won't be enough. My brother's army could arrive at any given moment now. We cannot spend more time with the training, we need to build a plan.  
-You're the one who knows your brother best, I know the army we have is not much but with a proper plan, we could win, I know we can. Maybe if we try to formulate one together…  
-Well, my brother is dumb and think everyone around him is stupid so he'll certainly won't follow any advice and do everything his way. He is not the best for planning battles and probably ignores how an army works. But even with bad leadership, they have more men than us, and even with our plan to change their mind to join us it won't be enough but...  
Elsa could practically see is thoughts fighting in the back of his head, begging to be chosen. William brought one hand on his chin and paced before her, after about 10 minutes he stopped and turned to her, eyes shining   
-I'm sure my brother will come and fight, even if he would stay far away from the real battlefield, he will be there to watch. If we capture him then we could end the war in a second!  
Elsa and William spend the rest of the day discussing their plan in detail, warning some of the Damned and sending messages across the kingdom. They planned the defense of Arendelle and prepared their attack. William was getting more and more confident in their victory. 

 

Elsa was happy this see him becoming himself again, she could still see his worries, it was strange to see all kind of emotion on his face but, it was nice. She knows how difficult it is to have powers and be scared of them, she felt like it was her duty to help him with them so she decided to train him. Even if their powers were the complete opposite, she felt like she could be of help. He was reticent at first but she quickly changed his mind. They would go every morning train for an hour at least in the forest far from curious eyes. The first few time, William nearly put the entire forest on fire and hesitated to stop those sessions but Elsa was always of great support and reassured him it was normal. At night, the king would secretly go train by himself with Snowball as only company. Elsa knew of William night outings but didn't tell him anything. She loved to see him so proud of himself every time he showed her a new move he had found. With her powers and his combined, she felt indestructible.

 

A month later…

William was sitting at his office, a pen and a paper in each hand. His eyes were dropping on their own and his hair was as messy as grass in the wind. After nearly falling asleep for the hundredth time, he decided to call it a night and got up of his chair. Before he could reach the other side of the office, Tyler opened it in a swift motion. William's best friend was trembling with eyes wide open and out of breath, his forehead was drenched in sweat. William took a step back, eyebrow raised and looking at his friend in silence. William asked Tyler what was happening but instead of replying he shoved a letter in his hands. William carefully opened the letter, after a minute of complete silence, William dropped the letter and rushed to his bedroom. He opened the door with such violence it banged against the wall. Elsa shoot up with a yelp, she looked angrily at William but quickly change her expression to worry at the look on his face. He didn't say anything and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her out of the room and straight to the royal office. There he picked up the piece of paper and passed it to her, then waited for her reaction. It didn't take long for her to look at him with the same expression William had seen on Tyler's face a few moments ago. She dropped the letter and brought her hands to her face, trying to hide the tears that threatened to fall. William did something she didn't expect him to do one day, he took her in his arms in a warm embrace, soothing her and stroking the back of her head. William took a last glace at the letter on the floor, he could clearly see what was written on it: the war at officially begun, his brother had struck first and had attacked a small village at the border of the kingdom, there were no survivors. He was now advancing toward the castle, wreaking havoc on his way, killing and destroying everything he could see.  
They stayed in each other's arms for a while, gently rocking from one side to the other and slowly processing the news. Elsa was the first to break the heavy silence that had formed around them:

-What do we do now? Do we wait until morning or do we wake everyone to set up our defense?  
-I think we should wait til' morning, let everyone have one last night of sleep. In any case, I don't think my brother is going to continue tonight. Come on, we should take a little rest too.

 

Everyone was on edge. The royal couple had made an official announcement and asked the people to stay inside the city wall for their security. Soldiers had gathered at every exit and around the perimeter. If someone wanted to enter or exit Arendelle, they had to go through a long series of questions. William had asked several of his men to go ahead and report to him every movement of his brother. William could not let him reach the city, he had to found him and launch a surprise attack to finish it quickly and with the least possible losses. If Onixya's army reaches the castle it would be far too late and they could say goodbye to their freedom.

Reports came flying one after another on William's desk. His brother was on the move again. According to them, the Onixyan king had taken with him at least 100 000 soldiers. William heard they should have been more but his plan to make them change their mind hard work and only the closest followers of his brother had come. After taking a last sip of his coffee and collected his paper, William went down in the castle courtyard to join Tyler and the rest of his soldiers. Today he had to prepare the last details with them. Tomorrow, he would lead the army with Elsa by his side to confront his brother. He had tried to convince Elsa to stay safely inside the castle but she had refused to listen to him and after a long argument, he had given up.

It didn't take long for him to have everything settled, the Damned were skilled and powerful soldiers. He knew they were ready for battle and trusted them to defend their new home. William had affected a bunch of soldiers to Elsa's protection, he knew she was powerful but she wasn't used to the battlefield and he would not always be by her side in the chaos, if something bad happened to her, he would hate himself and her sister would probably kill him.  
William made a round around the city, checking on the soldiers at the city doors and making sure the defense was in place. The king then proceeded to go back to the royal office to join Elsa.

He found her sitting in her chair, hands holding her head up. She sends a smile in his way and went back to work. He did the same at his desk who is placed just in the opposite direction of hers so that their two desks were facing each other. No words were exchanged between the two, leaving a comfortable silence in the room. William bit his lower lip, playing with a pen between his fingers. He opened his mouth as if to speak but closed it as quickly. He did the same thing several times before Elsa, exasperated, asked him what he wanted.

-Well I… I don't doubt your capacities and all but I don't think it's a good idea that you come tomorrow.  
-We've already talked about this.  
-I know I know but I don't think you realized where you are going to be tomorrow. I think it's best if you stay here with your sister.  
-Come on William, we've already settled this! I refuse to let you go there alone!  
-I won't be alone, my men and soldiers will be there too.  
-Listen, I cannot let you go there. I want to be by your side, I will not be able to stand the thought of you fighting while I'm safe in a room, waiting for your return. It's too hard for me.  
-Elsa, you've never been on a battlefield, you don't know how it can be! I will not be here to protect you all the time.  
-Well, maybe I won't need your help! Maybe I'll be perfectly fine! Maybe I'll be the one looking after you!  
-Oh please, that's completely absurd. You don't even know how to hold a sword!  
-I don't need a sword to fight! Elsa fiercely said, frost wrapping the edge of her desk  
-Stop playing dumb! This is not a stupid game where nothing can go wrong! In war, everything goes wrong, even with a flawless plan! What? You think you are going to go there and just ask them nicely to leave? You don't talk in a war, you kill. Do you think you are ready to take someone's life? To see the light fade out of their eyes? You are not a killer!

William was standing, body shaking and breathing heavily. His eyes were wide open, his hands clinging on his desk. She could see tears building up in the corner of his bi-colored eyes. She let his words sink in, realizing what this  
was all about. William continued with a softer voice, anger completely gone from his features.

-I've been in countless battles, I've seen and done things you couldn't even start to imagine. I've taken so many lives and shed so much blood I could fill the Fjord. I still have nightmares about the worst kills, and I...I don't want this for you… I want your soul to stay as pure as it can be, I want your nights to be filled with wonderful dreams! William looked at her, a trembling smile forming at the tip of his lips, I don't want you to see me fight, I don't want you to think I'm a monster…  
-Oh, William…   
Elsa couldn't keep a stern face in front of this. She walked towards him and stopped just before him. A rush of confidence overtook her, she places her hands on his cheeks, looking directly in his eyes.  
-I would never think of you as a monster. I understand you want me safe but I'm the Queen, I have to take my responsibilities.  
-So you're not going to change your mind, no matter what I'm going to say?  
-Sorry but no.  
-It kills me to say it but okay. I'll let you come with me. But don't say I didn't warn you and know I'm not happy with this decision.  
Elsa smiled, sliding her hands behind his back and bringing him closer in a hug. He didn't resist and put his hands on small of her back. William decided he like that and that he would try to do it more often.


	27. WAR

The sun had just risen, every soldier were in place and ready. Knights were on their horses in the back while the infantry was in the front line. The Damned were all wearing their armor and their scariest mask, weapons sharpened and ready to kill. 

It was an eerie silence that had fallen upon Arendelle. Citizens were watching through their windows, wives were crying silently with their kids in their arms and parents stayed at the front of their doors, waiting for their loved one to go. Some of them would probably never come back in the warmth of their homes.

William was standing on his horse looking over the army. Elsa was at his side on her horse. She could see the sun slowly rising in the distance. She took her time to take in the scenery, behind her she could see snow covering the landscape like a white blanket, birds were bickering over some food while others were chirping happily in trees and bushes. They had no idea of what was happening. Before her, the soldiers were sporting a closed face, devoid of any emotions. She felt pity for these poor men who were going to give their lives to protect their kingdom. Some of them had nothing to do with it but they had to fight in the name of a contract between Arendelle and their own kingdom.

William raised his arm in the air, demanding the soldiers' attention. He thanked them for their presence and made an eloquent speech about the battle to come. He told them that some will not come back but that they will be treated like heroes, he made sure to give them enough courage to fight valiantly and honor their country.

Elsa had never seen him speak this long in front of so many people. Throughout his speech, she felt a burst of courage running in her veins, she felt like nothing was going to go wrong and that, as long as she was by his side, she could do anything.

It was time to go. She saw her dear sister wave goodbye at her with tears in her eyes. She tries to reassure her with a look but all she managed to do was let a tear fall down her cheek. Soon they were out of the city, out of protection and out of sight of their loved ones. She risked a glance at William, he looked at her in return with an encouraging smile before telling his horse to go faster.

 

After hours of travel, they reached a large clearing where they could see in the distance the banners of Onixia. They could also see lots of soldiers walking around, getting ready to go. There was no time to waste. They had to attack now to keep the surprise effect. Everybody got ready and, after a loud battle cry, they rushed downhill to their enemies. From then, it was a mess. People were running everywhere, screaming and killing without mercy. Blood, blood everywhere. Elsa had never seen this much blood in her entire life. She was petrified in front of so much violence, she couldn't move, making herself an easy target. She had followed William when everything had broke down but she had lost him and now she felt powerless. He had tried to warn her at the castle. It was only now that she realized why he wanted her safe back there. It was too late to turn back around, she had to do something but her damn legs wouldn't obey her commands. She felt like crying, but how would it help her. In front of her, there was too much to see, images were printed in her mind, images she won't ever be able to forget! Men were impaled on swords, others had their head chopped off.

Elsa hides her eyes from this scene with her hands, tears running freely from her cheeks. She couldn't see the sword rising behind her. In one swift motion, it came down but something stopped it from killing the Queen. Elsa turned around with her eyes wide open to find William stick his sword in the enemy's chest. She had never seen the look Wiliam was wearing. He had a hard and cold killer's eyes. For a second she thought he would finish her but the moment his eyes fell upon her face, they went back to normal. He quickly grabbed her hand and ran out of the danger zone. Once they were somewhere safe, he grabbed her by both of her shoulders and shoved her against a rock  
-What were you doing standing still in the middle of a battlefield! Are you insane!  
-I'm sorry, I panicked!  
-Well, I could see that! You need to get yourself together, you were lucky I was around but it will not always be the case. William looked her in the eyes and push her against his chest, I was so scared I wasn't going to make it in time. You have to understand that you'll have to fight. I wanted you to stay away from this, but you will have to kill to survive. He didn't hesitate to raise his sword, the rest won't either. Elsa nodded on his shoulder.

After another minute in his arms, he gently went up and with a bit of hesitation, joined once again the battle. He was right, she needed to pull herself together and fight. She didn't want to be a burden for him and the rest. If they kept looking after her, they won't be concentrated on the battle and they will probably get hurt. Elsa took a long breath and jumped into battle.

Her first one vs one was the hardest. On one hand, she couldn't bring herself to use her power against a living being, but on the other hand, this living being was trying to kill her. The choice was easy to make. It was either her or him. She summoned a large block of ice and let it fall straight on her opponent head, knocking him out. The rest was easier, she created ice monsters while throwing ice block all over the battlefield. Of course, she made sure her allies weren't affected by them. Even if the Onixian's had more men, thanks to her power, they gained the advantage. Some of the enemies, who weren't accustomed to Elsa's Ice monsters, ran away not knowing how to kill it, some tried to attack it but even if they slew one, another would appear after. 

The tables were turning in there favors and William was proud of Elsa. He wished he was as confident has her in using his powers but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if he had spent days after days of training with her and even if he knew he could control them, he was too scared of losing control and hurting his men. So he continued slaying his opponents with his sword. To anyone watching him fight, it seemed like he was dancing between the corps and chunk of ice. He held his sword with such grace and technique it was a show in itself. William hated to fight but it was one of the things he did the best, it was probably the only skill his old man taught him and even if he hated his father, he cherished the afternoons spend with him.  
William fought his way up to his brother. He needed to find him to put an end to this bloodshed. He knew his coward of a brother would be fighting in the back with at least ten men around him for protection. William also knew that going there alone was risky but he didn't care, his senses were already clouded with adrenaline and anger. He jumped over another body before finding his brother not too far away, wiping blood from his little sword.   
William couldn't stand the smug smirk plastered on his face. It only made him angrier. Without thinking twice, William jumped into action and charged forward to his brother, defeating in one slash every openment who tried to slow him down.

Elsa could see from far away William running in the opposite direction of her. Worried, she decided to follow him, making sure to knock out the soldiers who came after her. It was hard not to fall over all those bodies lying on the ground, but Elsa tried not to focus on them too much, having her mind set on only one person. She passed by Tyler without noticing, too busy running but Tyler saw her and ran after her, wanting to protect her from anything that could come from the back. He had no idea of where she was running to, but he couldn't care less, William had ordered him to look after her when he could and now was a good time. It didn't take them much more time before reaching their destination. When they stood on a small embankment, they saw William fighting against ten soldiers plus his brother. He was bleeding everywhere, tired and obviously outnumbered but his eyes were glowing with a will to win, only death could stop him. Elsa didn't think twice and just like William, she jumped right by his side into battle. She easily took down two men with one of her ice blasts while Tyler engaged a one vs two. William smiled to his two companions before continuing one with his fight.

The fight was intense, both sides wanting to win. While one attacked, the other blocked and it continued like that for ages. The trio slowly but surely took out the small group of soldiers that was protecting the King of Onixia. Elsa was exhausted, never had she used so much of her power. After taking out the last soldier, she fell to her knees, unable to use her powers. Tyler stood by her side in case a danger would come for her. They watch as William made his way to his brother for what seemed to be the last confrontation. It pained Elsa to see the two brother fight, she couldn't imagine doing this with her sister.

William stayed ten feet away from his brother and said:  
—Brother, let go of your sword and surrender! Look around you, you've lost, no need to keep killing each other!  
—Never! You'll have to kill me!

William prepared his sword and so did Charles. The two pieces of metal clashed against each other. The sound seemed to echo through the battlefield like it was the only sound in the field. When Elsa looked around her and saw that, indeed, everyone was stopping one by one fighting to come assist to the big fight between the two leaders. Like the Queen expected, the temperature started rising as the fight rages on. The two men were panting, their blood blended with their sweat but nothing was stopping them. Every time the blade from Charles came close to William's neck, Elsa would hold her breath or close her eyes, not wanting to see the worst, but every time he would push it away and resume the fight. 

It was exhausting, the two wanted to end it as quick as possible but neither of them could do it. Charles knew he wouldn't hold on for much longer so he decided to break the code of sword fighting. With one swift movement of his feet, he lifted dirt from the ground and threw it in William's eyes, making him blind for a second, it was just enough for him to stab him but before the blade could impale his brother, Elsa jumped in front it, taking the blow in his place. When William opened his eyes again, he saw Elsa laying at his feet with blood dripping out of her side. Panick cursed through him and heat taking over him. With a loud scream, fire erupted from his hands and all over him, enveloping him completely in a second. Charles stood frozen, unable to move and too scared. He didn't flinch when a burst of fire went in his way, taking it fully. He died on the spot, turning to ashes.

Without acknowledging what he just did, William rushed to Elsa's side and with his fire cauterize the wound. Everything that happened next was a blur.


	28. The End

The Onyxian watched with horror their leader being consumed by the flames of his brother. No one of them could do something, some of them were even relieved to see that tyrant dying. When Charles completely turned into ashes, the Onyxians let their swords fall to the ground and they all kneeled before their new king. William was struggling with healing Elsa's wound, when one of the Onyxian's healer noticed this, he rushed to his aid and, with a bandage, wrapped it around the new burn mark on her pale skin. Everything after this went by quickly. After pledging allegiance to William, both sides worked together to search for injured men or to bring together the dead bodies.

 

The next weeks were difficult for both kingdoms. After organizing a proper funeral for the deceased soldiers of Arendelle, William went back to Onyxia with the rest of the Onyxian army and their dead. When he arrived in his childhood city, William was warmly greeted by its citizen. They had prepared a real feast to welcome their new king. Of course, some inhabitants weren't pleased by his coming. They wanted him out of Onyxia and simply wanted to elect a new king. they viewed William as a monster and didn't trust him. The king didn't pay any attention to them, after all, they had worshipped a man who never had taken any real decisions by himself.

William gave a long speech on the central place where he praised the courage of the fallen soldiers. He also informed them that he will be their new king and that he'll do everything in his power to protect Onyxia. After this, he went inside the castle and gave the ashes of his brother to his wife. She didn't even shed a tear and walked out of the large building.

He stayed there a week before going back to Arendelle. Elsa and he had to discuss how they were going to handle the unification of Arendelle and Onyxia. They stayed lock in a room for days, coming up with different plans and making all sorts of decisions. It seemed normal for Wiliam to change Onyxia's name to Arendelle, making it one big kingdom. Elsa tried to change his mind, saying that Onyxia was a part of him, with which he replied that it was his past and that Arendelle was his present. Elsa felt very touched by this statement and accepted his decision. They also argued on how they were going to manage ruling over this big land. William wanted to continue like it was a small kingdom while Elsa wanted to divide it into several pieces so they could put people in charge of each bit so that they only had to command the person in care. After arguing back and forth, William admitted it was a good idea and gave in. They agreed on where to divide and who should control what. They also decided that it would be great to visit each district every 6 months, to keep everything in order.  
After one or two more hours, they had finished. Elsa went out of the room with a sigh of relief, this nightmare was officially over for them and their people.

After saying goodbye to William, Elsa went directly to her sister. She needed some time to relax and enjoy Anna's presence. They decided to spend their time together like they used to do before all this mess started by going around town and playing by the lake.

Winter was slowly coming to an end, snow melting and water finally free from its ice prison. Elsa watched around her, taking in her surroundings. She loved winter but she also loved watching it go away. Soon, the trees will dress up in their beautiful green dress and what is white will be full of colors. All the little animals and little birds will come back and the forest will be full of life again. The two sisters walked in silence, happy to just be together, but Anna had something she wanted to tell her sister. 

—You know, now that everything is over you can make your move.  
—What are you talking about?  
—You know perfectly what I'm talking about. You and William! I mean it's obvious, now that we are not at war anymore and that you two are good friends well you can move a step further in your relationship!  
—Don't be ridiculous Anna. There is and will never be anything other than friendship between us.  
—Now you're the one being ridiculous, come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed the way he looks at you during all those boring meetings! I can tell you that he likes you more than just a friend.

What was Anna talking about? It's true that the night where they all went up to the Ice Castle, Elsa had confessed to Anna that she might feel something for William but it was just in the moment, she didn't really mean it, right? They were just good friends, well married friends but friends. Even if William had warmed up to her lately didn't mean anything. It's not because her heart kept beating faster every time he was too close, or because she felt strange things in her stomach when he talks to her, or even if she felt the most protected by his side that it meant anything, right?  
Who was she kidding, she couldn't pretend anymore. She likes him...no she loves him. What was she going to do? He certainly couldn't feel the same way! What if she tells him and he rejects her, it will be too awkward she'll have to run away! And what if...  
—Elsa! Jeez, I called you like five times, are you becoming deaf or what?  
—Sorry, I was a bit lost in my thoughts.  
—I can see that! Listen, it's getting late, we should go back to the castle. I have things to do with Kristoff anyway. You, you are going to talk to William okay?  
—What? No! No way, there is nothing to talk about!  
—We are not going over this again, now stop complaining and do as I say, if you don't go talk to him, I swear I'll make you!

When they reach the castle, Anna left Elsa to her own device. She trusted her big sister to do the right thing. Elsa felt nervous, it wasn't the first time she felt this emotion when she wanted to talk to William, but this time it was just worst than normal. Hands trembling, she reached for the door handle. In one swift motion, she opened the door, ready to face him. She looked around the bedroom, he was not here. She let out a breath she had no idea she was holding and closed the door. She looked all around the castle, there was no sign of him, it was like he had just disappeared. She was ready to give up until she remembered William favorite spot to hide: The forest.

It didn't take her long to reach the forest. She could already see him sitting farther away. He was holding something white in his lap, she smiled when she recognizes this white ball of fur as Snowball, his faithful friend. She loved this caring and soft side of William. She could stand all day watching him with this little rabbit, but she had things to do before. Her nervousness came back with every step she took in his direction. When she was close enough, he lifted his head in her direction, welcoming her with a smile only he could do. He then patted an empty space next to him, inviting her to sit with him. They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the presence of each other but William could sense something wrong with Elsa. She seemed troubled, something was on her mind and he had to know what.

—So, how was your day? He started, not wanting to be too straightforward   
—Well, it was nice I guess. Less stress, more relaxing. And yours?  
—Good, I suppose. The conversation died as soon as it started, William wasn't as good with little chats as he thought he was. He wanted to know what was bothering her but at the same time he needed to talk to her about something that was on is mind for a while. MAybe sharing his thoughts will help her?

—Listen, Elsa, I need to talk to you about something that's been bothering me.   
—I have something to tell you too, but I don't really know how to begin.  
—Well maybe I should go first so maybe it'll be easier for you. Elsa nodded and waited for him to continue.  
So you and me, we haven't met like normal people. We've been through a lot and I haven't been always nice with you, lying and all that stuff. I...I am really grateful, you've always stood by my side even in my worst days. You've always been a great support and a great friend. But I must confess that lately, I've been feeling something stronger about you. We've been forced to do everything backward, first marrying before knowing each other, and it just feels wrong you know? I guess I'm just wondering what would have happened if we had just met like every other person.  
—William, I must admit that I too feel something more than friendship towards you. I did not realize it until Anna pointed it out to me. I guess I just tried to buried those feelings as deep as I could because I was scared you didn't felt the same way about me.  
—Why wouldn't I? You're a beautiful, strong and independent woman. Even a blind person would fall head over heels for you.  
—Now you're lying.  
—No, I'm not. Listen, you are the most extraordinary person I've ever met. You make me feel things I've never felt in my entire life. You helped me control my powers and get back my kingdom while giving me all the support I could ever ask for. You are without any doubt the best thing that ever happened to me. William put Snowball aside and took her hands, looking right in her eyes. Elsa, I love you, with all my heart. Will you do me the honor of starting everything over?  
—You want us to pretend we've never met?  
—Exactly, I want to do things right. Let's just pretend we are not married! Let's start everything again like we are strangers. I want to get the chance to court you properly and offer you a real start. Will you do this with me?  
—Yes! Of course!  
It was exciting, Elsa thought, starting all over. It will be strange to pretend she didn't know things she knew but it'll be fun. William stood up and turned his back to her before facing her again. With a little sile, he extended a hand that she took without hesitation. He bowed down then looked her in the eyes before saying  
—I'm William Warlock, it's nice to meet you.


End file.
